Urban Theory
by Riki
Summary: NOT anywhere near finished. Familiar faces in 21st century. Nothing very graphic, sorry. Hinted very much though. Rikikage! This fic has probably nothing to do with the original Tenchu.
1. Prologue

**Urban theory; Prologue **

**Public forum on internet, 9. July 2004:**

**From: Oz-Lost in the wonderland**

I wonder if someone could help me with my problem, involving mushrooms?

---

**Public forum on internet, 9.-14. July 2004:**

**Replays to Oz:**

**From:** Hello!

Dude, what's your problem? Get help! …Please!

---

**From:** Don't talk about THOSE in here.

thought to warn u. pot talk it's against the rules! If you're new they might forgive you, still better to be sure, eh… delete this conversation and… we'll be like it never happened… ;)

---

**From:** destroying angel(s)

Wanna talk?

---

**From:** Idon'tlikethedrugs(BUT THE DRUGS LIKE ME!)

Hmm… Mushrooms? Personally I could come clean and say I've tried it once when I was something like 15… very bored and middle of no where… In my grannies : ) …yes well, I don't recommend unless you're skinned and… well… bored…

But hey, really should warn u… it's illegal to have this on public…

---

**Private email exchange between Oz and destroying angel(s). First message received: 14.7.2004 20:02**

**(From Oz to destroying angel(s))**

**Subject:** Daisies

>

No, I just wanna know if you can get me and my friends in…?

>

>

_New message from_ _destroying angel(s)_

>

Don't be cocky, I just might like that… How is that you heard of me? And don't try to tell me that it was lucky charm…

>

>

_New message from_ _Oz_

>

Actually it was. …Might have done some back tracking… heard of you trough a friend… or some random gossip in the loo…

>

>

_New message from destroying angel(s)_

>

So, I should be more careful, thanks for the tip, Bye

>

>

_New message from Oz_

>

What are you? Paranoid?

>

>

**Last message received 20:06**

_---_

**Private email exchange between Oz and destroying angel(s). First message received: 15.7.2004 20:17**

**(From Oz to destroying angel(s))**

**Subject:** Daisies

_New message_

>

Don't play dead.

>

>

_New message from destroying angel(s)_

>

…Who are you

>

>

_New message from Oz_

>

I don't really feel comfortable telling …What does it matter?

>

>

_New message from destroying angel(s)_

>

So you are famous then? Otherwise it wouldn't matter…

>

>

_New message from Oz_

>

If I were, would I be asking you to help me get in? …You just toying with me aren't you?

>

>

_New message from destroying angel(s)_

_>_

So? Aren't you toying with me?

>

>

_New message from Oz_

>  
…Blow me

>

>  
_New message from destroying angel(s)_

>  
Don't mind me if I do… So you really wanna get in? Why? They just a punch of looser living wide and looking you down wards… Tickets to get in a restaurant, what's that!

>

>

_New message from Oz_

_>_

It's not for me. It's my friend's birthday.

>

>

_New message from destroying angel(s)_

>

You poor bastard… acting so unselfish… Why should I help you?

>

>  
_New message from Oz_

>

…For money? I dunno?

>

>

_New message from Oz_

>

Hello? Still there?

>  
>  
_New message from destroying angel(s)_

>  
…How many?

>

>

_New message from Oz_

>

4

>

>

_New message from destroying angel(s)_

>

Mail box 259. It's on the name Oni. Tickets will be there, I say tomorrow afternoon, and the reservation number, just call there and change the date.

>

>

_New message from Oz_

>

…Just like that?

>

>

_New message from destroying angel(s)_

>

Yes, once it's done the date shouldn't be a problem.

>

>  
_New message from Oz_

>

How much do I owe you? Should I leave the money in the box?

>

>

_New message from destroying angel(s)_

>  
…it's your lucky day, I won't charge you…

>

>

_New message from Oz_

>

…Come on? Tickets to Winsor's dream cost a fortune? Are you sure?

>

>

_New message from destroying angel(s)_

_>  
_Heh… not to me, I'm a famous criminal.

>

>  
_New message from destroying angel(s)_

>

Yeah sure, the bank robber hacker who no-one had ever seen and everyone is copying, pretending to be the real Oni? Give me a break…

>

>  
_New message from destroying angel(s)_

_>_

So you've done your homework but you know that he's not only a bank robber?

>

>

_New message from Oz_

>

So they say… Who really knows? Wouldn't wanna be his attorney.

>

>

_New message from destroying angel(s)_

>

You're a lawyer? What have I gone in to…?

>

>

---

**Privet email exchange Oz and destroying angel(s).**

**Email received: 20.8.2004 12:43**

**From: **Oni

**To:** Oz

**Subject:** My brains are killing me!

>

I'm sitting here and having my lunch and I thought about what you said yesterday. About that strange drink they only make in Heaven… It give me an idea. And I'm so fucking high! …Just thought I should thank you...

>

And for that reason I'm gona be busy for the next couple of days, working trough my project… the thought still makes me laugh… whish you could see this… anyways I'll be at my studio and the place is like a fortress so I have non connection to the world… so you know I didn't die…

>

I'll be leaving at 15:15 and be back in a week or so…

---

**Email received: 20.8.2004 13:00**

**From:** Oz

**To:** Oni

**Subject: Re:** My brains are killing me!

>

Glad if I helped you out… thought I'm little scared in what way…? no, don't really wanna know…

>

Btw, thought to ask you… Is that exhibition that you mentioned in the bLue-gallery?

>

Because if it is… I'm afraid I will have to see you work. it's sort of a firm's way to get new clients and it's my turn to go fishing… I've never been in a situation like that before and to tell you the truth, I'm kinda nervous… All the people who go to these opening thins are… weird… insane…, right? On top of it all, my usual date is in work at that hour. So, I'm all alone in middle of these stuck-up people I wouldn't care to talk to… Just my luck.

>

Still you could wink me what have you hanged in there… so I could take a look?

---

**Email received: 20.8.2004 12:09**

**From:** Oni

**To:** Oz

**Subject:** Re:re: My brains are killing me!

>

You know, I'm gonna be there too… First thought not to, but now that I think of it I probably should be there as I am one of the artists.

>

Maybe it's time for us to meet? Tell me if it sounds crazy, I won't come.

>

**Urban theory**

Half year later.

The corridor in an apartment building was cold and off-putting. But so was pretty much everything to him after what he'd been trough these past few days.

Rikimaru sat on the floor of the corridor that was painted in light green. The floor was made of hard tiles and there were one window near the roof to bring the grey day light in. He leaned to his knees and stared at the wall opposite him. All was lost.

Where would he go now? What would he do? All he knew he couldn't take in anything that would have demanded careful concentration. His mind drifted back to last summer when it had all began.

He was so… perfect. Looking so out of character in middle of those rich people, who were full of them selves …He wasn't at all what I had expected… Quite the opposite… strange, his looks too classy to fit his personality…

Flashback ---

Rikimaru was standing in front of a piece of art. For some reason it had captured his attention like it had been made of magic. He was unaware that someone was evaluating him like he'd been part of the exhibition.

He sipped the champagne as his other hand was in his pocket. He knew he should have gone to talk to people and would probably do so after he'd seen all the works and read all the tags under them. He started to look for the little white paper somewhere near the corner of this painting when was interrupted.

"So what do you think it is?" His voice was very low, but soft. It was little harder than Rikimaru would imagine his own voice to be.

The man who spoke to him was wearing a black suit under it a white shirt with one button casually open. He had a long black hair that was tied in pony tail behind his back and left to from as casual curve as his whole being was.

They both looked at the painting. Rikimaru was confused and unsure was it him he'd been pen friends with the past month.

"…Is it a drink?"

"Hmmm, yes… The liquid heaven." He smirked and shortly their eyes met each other. He offered his hand saying his name and added "…but my friends call me Oni."

The low voice of accepting was still tingling in Rikimaru's abdomen when he shook his hand. He had had no intentions to get more than an interesting conversation of this meeting.

"Rikimaru Azuma… you can call me Riki, if you want."

---

So we talked and talked and I forgot that I was supposed to meet prospect clients for the firm. Well fuck the firm! They took my time well enough.

He told me about his work as an artist and embarrassing things about the other guests we both seemed to hate. I told about my work as a lawyer and about the senior associates and that I had thought martial arts while I still had been a student. You know, all the casual and half casual things you can say when your mind is really somewhere else.

Flashback ---

They stood near the railing at the second floor when Rikimaru felt the other man leaning closer to say something in a low voice. He didn't really care what it was. Slightly his chest was pressing to his arm and shoulder while his mouth was so close to his ear Rikimaru could feel the warm breath. Oni made the whole series of movements seem natural like he had just accidentally staggered into his friend's private space.

He smiled to his comment as he thought he should and looked to a croup his friend had pointed with a slight nod.

It had been a long time since he'd properly dated anyone or even taken someone home with him. He had no time for such. Being the second youngest associate in a law firm wasn't definitely a piece of cake. Thought it wasn't all bad; the work had calmed him down in frames of reason.

His friend might not be as into him as he hoped he would be. Maybe he was just imagining it as it had been such a long time. For all he knows his friend was so friendly and close just because he thought there could be anything that would have been uncomfortable in public between two men.

---

Finally we both got bored to the atmosphere and decided to leave. Before that I had mentally lectured my self that nothing was going to happen. I should just enjoy the evening, go home and sleep trough Sunday. I tried not flirt too much but old habits die hard. When the silence landed between us and it was time to leave, he suddenly told me that he had to show me something and of course. the something was at his place.

Now it feels so damn obvious! Pathetic even… And I just smiled to myself looking for a taxi with my eyes. Of course I agreed.

Flashback ---

The flat was enormous. How an artist could have the money for it, Rikimaru thought. Maybe his daddy was a big company boss all thought he didn't seem a spoiled brat.

"So, what is you wanted to show me?" He asked looking around his living room that nearly was as big as his own flat.

"Huh? …Oh yes… this…" He pointed a painting that was under a white sheet. The canvas was bigger than the one in the exhibition. "…I…a…" He started leaning to its frame and looking to it trough the sheet and then on the ground hesitating.

"…Should we put the lights on?" Rikimaru suggested remotely looking for a switch, but only remotely.

The room was dim. Only light that came in to the room was the lights of the city and the mere electric yellow glow over the kitchen.

"…I wanted you to see this but…" Oni moved to look at him standing in front of it. "…It's not quite ready yet…" He smiled sheepishly. "And I don't feel quite enough comfortable showing it… to anyone…" He looked the white sheet like he'd seen trough it and seen his own faults in it. He bites his lips and then smiles, laughing half nervously. "Sorry to drag you in here… you mind?"

Maybe Oni was afraid he might get the wrong idea. "…No…" Rikimaru says suddenly like he'd just been woken up from dreaming. "…I should go… It's late…" He walks to the hallway leading to a door.

Oni follows him there while he puts his jacket on. "…It's Sunday, tomorrow…?"

"Yeah?" He doesn't want to leave and hangs back while adjusting his scarf.

"So? Where's the fire?"

Rikimaru would have laughed the comment if Oni hadn't moved so close as he talked. It was hard not look those lips and concentrate getting out. He had to get out before he'd do something wrong. He had a gut feeling this was a bad idea. Was he coming on to him, he couldn't believe it was so. "…I… just… it's kinda… late?"

---

So that's when and how it all began. I stayed the whole Sunday with him.

We started to spend more time together. He sneaked in to my life and fitted like he'd all ways belonged there. He tricked me by pretending to be curious about me and kept his own business his own. Didn't really noticed it until now. Probably because he didn't want to accidentally slip anything. I felt like I had always known him and now he's a stranger.

Could a stranger make me feel this bad as I feel now?

He made me feel things that I had never felt towards anyone else. And not just in the sack, because if it had been only that, then this would be a lot easier to deal with. Maybe I'd get a one night stand too and go back to him after?

How long has it been now? Since I caught him. Two? Three days?

Flashback ---

Rikimaru quickly rose up the stairs to the apartment in 4th floor. He had a smile on his face and a big bag over his shoulder.

He had been out of town the weekend; lawyers annual meeting. Working weekends were really quite fun unless you missed all the activity by using your time thinking of your lover and his latest idea.

They had seen last time at Friday morning. Rikimaru wasn't quite sure which one of them had brought the subject up. Although he remembered Oni saying that it was waste of money and space to keep too apartments when they spend nearly all their time together. His apartment was more than enough for both of them. How much more closer can you get the phrase; you, move in with me, with out actually saying the words?

He was coming home to stay and couldn't be happier.

Rikimaru shook his head on the door still smiling. When had he last time been so ridiculously happy? My gosh, he thought, someone should really put a bullet trough my head, because his face was starting to hurt. He looked for his key card and slipped it trough.

He stepped in wondering was he home and heard noises from the living room. Someone was giggling and then someone spoke. Rikimaru couldn't tell what the voices were saying.

The smile had faded away slowly and soon his mood came crashing down.

He rushed out, as quickly as he could and as quiet whit out being noticed. He felt sick and tiers rushed to his eyes.

He hold them down and got a taxi.

He didn't know where to go. His thoughts were all mixed up and all he knew for certain was that he couldn't face him right now if ever. He couldn't go home; he might come to look for him.

---

Rikimaru sighted staring at the roof now letting his arms hang over his knees. He wasn't quite sure how had he spend the last days. Where had all the time gone?

When he'd left from Oni's place he'd first thought to go in a bar but then realized he didn't want to see a soul. He went to his office which was empty on Sunday. First thing he did was to write a resignation letter and then he gave it to the board in a middle of the meeting on a Monday morning. Then he went in to a motel and slept, cried. It was all a big blur and confusion.

He thought things over. What made his live worth living? He'd beaten himself up first by studying then working his ass off for the firm. Was he happy? He missed his friends, all night long parties, one-night stands, drugs… all the things he couldn't do as a lawyer, because it would have jeopardise his career.

That would have to wait now, the career, he thought. He didn't want to be tied down to anything that reminded him for the past.

Jawing woman about his age rose up the stairs. She had a long black hair falling over her shoulders and a dark blue water coat that was wet. Apparently it had started raining outside while he'd sat on the hallway.

"…Rikimaru?" She asked surprised and saw his hurt. "…What's wrong?"

"…Didn't you mention last week… that you needed a room mate…?"

She leaned to his knees kneeling down to get a better look at him.

"…You didn't have to give up your apartment just because I have trouble paying my rent…?"

"…Call it a act of good will… do you already have someone?"

She shook her head. "…Come on in… and tell me all…?"

**Urban theory**

It was Tuesday morning. Ayame was making breakfast for two hoping that Rikimaru would get up soon. She needed to know what was the matter so she could help him and for her able to do so; Rikimaru should better get up before she had to go to work.

Call it a telepathy or pure luck as Rikimaru drawled slowly to the table.

"…Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I'm making breakfast… I got the morning off, Jake is covering me…" She flipped pancakes into pan. "…so I'm yours…" She looked at the clock. "…hour n' half…"

"…Is it okay me moving in here? I can find other place if…"

"What happened to your old apartment?"

"…I can't go there anymore…" He stared at the empty space on the corner.

Ayame was starting to get worried. Rikimaru had never been like this.

"…I've never seen you like this? …Tell me what's happening? Is it some client? Are they threatening you?" She sat down opposite him.

"…It's nothing like that… The guy I was telling you about… cheated me with, some, blond chick…" He fought to keep his voice normal covering it with a small laugh. "…and I was starting to get used to him… love him maybe…"

She didn't know what to say to a thing like that. She had never met this man he was talking about. Ayame hoped she could say it wasn't true just to comfort him. "…Sorry… to hear that…"

"...Yeah, well… life goes on… right?"

"…I didn't quite get… why it is that you can't go to your apartment?"

"There is a small risk I might find him there wondering where I am… yes, doubly like he'd care, I… am way too angry to see him… Just wanted to punch his stupid fucking face in…" He look over her. "…And guess what? …I quit my job." This time he smiled for real.

"…Quit? Like, took a few days off?" Her voice said please say you didn't.

"Like 'I'm tired of you guys sucking me off, you can storage my contract up in your ass', and that's the short, censored, version of it… Later it occurred to be that it just might have been a video meeting so… I don't think they'll be taking me back… or any other firm for that matter…"

Ayame just blinked twice while Rikimaru leaned to his one hand over the table playing with a pencil o his other hand.

"…You think they'll take me to teach martial arts or something like that…?"

"…I dunno… probably…"

"Don't worry, I have savings to pay the rent."

"Well, yes, um… No need to rush… Take your time and pull your self together… while you still can…"

"…Ayame?"

"No, no, you need to figure out where you are heading…"

"…yes, but…"

"It might seem small but when things pile up before you have properly dealt with them, they make you life…"

"Black?"

"…yes."

"Smoke?"

"Huh? …Oh no! The pancakes…!"

She jumped up from the chair and hurried to the stove. This seemed to be so familiar procedure to her that he didn't see it necessary to go up and help.

Finally she stopped and cursed.

"…I see nothing has changed since the last time we lived together…"

"…hmm I'm still a lousy cook… fine…" She waved her hands trying to make the smoke disappear. "… Single…"

"Why? Can't find anyone good enough?"

"…They say I'm too independent and controlling… but do you know what they really mean? …I'm too much of a tomboy… They can't handle me being a cop…"

"…yes I can imagine; your homophobic boyfriends see that you are so masculine that it makes them feel like a little girl around you…"

"Glad to make you laugh…" She said half-hearted.

"…Maybe I'll just order us some food?"

"Sounds good…"

Rikimaru went to look for his phone until he remembered that he'd thrown it to the river. He came back to the kitchen. "…Ayame…? Can I borrow your phone? …I seem to have lost mine."

"Sure, it's one the table of the hallway… lost your phone? Did you forget it in somewhere?"

"…In the river…" He mumbled and was already giving the order.

She peaked in the hallway. "...What?"

---

It was half past twelve and Ayame had to go to work. She peered down the window and saw a familiar car waiting on the street. "My ride's here…" She was pulling on her shoes. "You gonna be okay…?"

"I will ma"

"…D-don't call me that…! …You can take the key over there… and keep it… See you at… four, five… or tomorrow…!"

Rikimaru started to clean the mess on the kitchen. He stopped to look at the table. How was it that Ayame had made him forget for a while? His heart cut now that he'd remembered it again. He tried to shook it of but while his hand moved to clean the dishes his mind went over and over what had he seen.

Just as he was about to break something the door bell rang. Thank god he thought, maybe she'd forget something.

He didn't look who was behind the door and just opened it. She resembled her very much despite her more feminine style. Maybe she was cuter too, but Rikimaru just thought it was because the age difference.

"…Rikimaru?" Kiku said little surprised seeing him there still in his pyjamas as the day was in half. Before Rikimaru could answer her she continued. "…So you've finally come out of the closet and started sleeping with her, eh?"

The girl was barely fifteen Rikimaru thought as she walked past him to the apartment. "…Morning, Kiku…"

The girl looked at the apartment. "Is she home?"

"You just missed her… Didn't see the car in front?"

She shook her head.

Rikimaru closed the door and walked past her into the kitchen.

"Can I stay for awhile… there's awful could outside…"

"…Sure… Sit down… you want something, tea, coffee…?"

"No…" She sat where Rikimaru had when he'd spoken with Ayame. "So… Why are you here?"

He put the empty food bags to the garbage. "…I moved in here."

"…Why?"

"…because… my salary isn't gonna be what it used to and it's cheaper to live under her wing… How about you? What's new?"

"Nothing much…"

"...How's your dad?"

"Okay, I guess…"

"Is he still holding that garage?"

"Of course… he lives for the cars…" She hadn't seen him in a long time. "How come I haven't seen you since… ever…?"

He smiled weakly. "…Work, work and work and stuff… Shouldn't you be in school?"

"It's my lunch hour, duh?"

"…Have you eaten anything?"

"yeah… Shouldn't you be at work?"

"…I think I'm unemployed right now…"

"What are you going to do the whole day?"

That certainly was a good question, he thought.

"…I probably should go and get my things from my last apartment…" Before the landlady sets the cops after me, he added mentally.

"Can I come with you?"

"Don't you have school?"

"Only physical and I can repair it later… besides if we walk it will be just like it… I really wouldn't want to go there… You'd be much more fun, please?"

"I don't think I'll be… but sure… come with me… I just get my clothes and we'll leave…"

---

It was two a clock as they arrived to his apartment's door. He wondered why Kiku didn't speak of anything as they had closed in on the building, did she sense his nervousness?

She was reading some poster on the wall while Rikimaru stared at the door, the keys in his hand. What had he expected, to find Oni camping on his door step? Rikimaru knew very well that Oni just wasn't that kind of a guy who'd wonder after him. He wasn't a guy who would be dumped, he was a guy who walked and moved on.

He had hoped not to pump in to him. Now that Oni wasn't here, he was disappointed. He hadn't notice that Kiku had stopped reading the poster and was now next to him. "Have you found the key yet?"

"Um… yep…" He turns the key and opens the door. "…Shut the door, please… okay, this is gonna take a while, take a seat, watch the telly or something…"

"…Ok." She walks past him on the small living room that's companied with the hallway.

Kiku opens the TV as Rikimaru stares at her and the apartment for some time. There was an awful mess. He hadn't had time to clean. He had too much stuff anyways, it couldn't fit in this rat whole properly. He takes a deep breath and walks past the kitchen. No use to look at the fridge, everything was most likely over the date.

The bedroom was behind the kitchen. He walks in and slams the door shut leaning to it. The bed looked the same as when he'd left Friday morning, soft, comfortable, messy. White sheets and blanket cover dripping over the edge. He could almost see it.

He shook out of it and headed for the cupboard. He'd only taken few steps when he recognised a movement in the room, near the chair that was in the corner, sneakily behind a shelf.

His heart stopped beating and then started flapping like waterwheel as something resembling panic washed over him.

Sleeve of a white shirt had for some strange reason moved. Rikimaru walked to the chair. The shirt was the only thing of Oni that had waited for him to return. It was almost ghost like that the sleeve had moved just as he'd come home. Carefully he takes the piece of cloth in his hands. Looks at it, presses it against his face, smelling his lovely scent from it.

He sits down and looks at his room. Thinking and blaming him self.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! He wasn't asking me to move in with him, no. He was hoping to scare me away by suggesting it!

Why didn't I get it?

Was it all physical then? Of course it was! That's what people want when they meet strangers like that, anonymous sex. How come have I forgotten the unwritten rules of the whole thing? I have never before mixed sex and love, why start now? Maybe I've been too long out of the picture…

Kiku knocked at the door and opened it. "…Are you ready soon? There's nothing on…"

"Yeah sure… just a minute…" Rikimaru crinkled the shirt on the floor and walked to his cupboard.

Kiku eyed the bed still standing in the door way. "So this is what real single's bedroom looks like…"

"Please, fix your beautiful eyes on somewhere else…" he was emptying the shelves to the bag he'd taken with him. "…What do you mean, 'real single's'?"

"Well, Ayame is a single and I bet her bed never looks like that…"

"Your dad is a single too, does…?"

"Don't continue…!" She walked away from the door back to the living room.

Why tormenting her was almost as funny as tormenting Ayame, he thought to himself. Thought Kiku was wrong about her bed. His hands stopped backing as Oni popped in his mind.

What really hurt him most? That he'd cheated him or that he'd cheated him with a woman. There was nothing wrong being a bi, but he could at least tell him that he was. Not that they had ever discussed the topic, but that wasn't the point now, was it?

He had been the first Rikimaru had totally given the control to and would probably be the last one. He'd trusted his body and mind to him and it hadn't been enough.

Thought it was expected. Those guys eventually ended up with a nice girl who was wife material and started a family. Rikimaru knew he himself couldn't settle for that. Chancing a soul mate to offspring, no way, thought it would be great to have both.

He found himself staring at one of the closets and once again shook his mind back to reality.

"I'm ready…" He said stepping out of the bedroom, carrying a huge back on his shoulder.

"…Your comp is still on the table…?"

"…I'll pick it up later… come on, I still have to talk to the landlady…"

---

Kiku had gone home to help her dad and Ayame was still at work when Rikimaru came home. The apartment was dark and empty for someone who'd thought to be living in a relationship by now. He unpacked his belongings to a room Ayame had showed him. It was pretty easy to settle in because it wasn't the first time he and Ayame shared apartment.

It was beginning to be late. He lay at his bed fully clothed and looked at the clock: five past nine. Well, not so late.

Phone rang in the hallway. Had she forgotten her phone home? The phone didn't stop ringing so he went to answer it.

"…Hello?" He picked it up not bothering to look who was calling.

"Hi, Rikimaru!"

"Hi…Jin?"

"Ayame told me that you need some refreshing... She's, again, late at work so, you need to put some clothes on…"

"Listen… Jin, I dunno am I really in a mood to…"

"Shut up, you wimp! We'll be there in… ten minutes… get your ass ready… you me and Dan are going dancing! …And don't even think about locking us out…! …Ayame gave us the keys…"

**Urban theory**

**A/n: I will continue. Even if you wouldn't want me to. X)**


	2. Breathe!

**Urban theory: chapter 2 (song-fic-chapter) **

_Breathe with me  
_

Alcohol, running in human veins as hectically as the sound waves destroyed their hearing. Smoke, more accurately, nicotine pressed down to their throats ruining their lungs. Requirement for something as uncontaminated as oxygen wasn't wanted among them to clear confused minds. It was tight, for someone with a clear head; pressing.

Rikimaru wasn't one to get anxiety over this. This was his escape. Get away form too much thinking, seeing, feeling and over all being alive still. This was pure simplicity if not his heaven as long as the lunacy of his brain continued in this darkness.

_Breathe the pressure  
Come play my game I'll test ya  
Psychosomatic addict insane  
Breathe the pressure  
Come play my game I'll test ya  
Psycho-somatic addict insane_

The mass that Rikimaru was in moved almost in unison or so it seemed when you were between the shadow and glow. Why wasn't everything as easy as it was in here, he thought. Clear phase of life, that would make you want to form the lucid matching moves seeking for perfection.

This night he spent alone. He didn't know really how he had made that decision to come alone in a bar as he usually had at least few of his friends with him. That what he was; a friendly guy who came along with everybody, even with strangers he thought to know after few minutes of talk. Couldn't be alone simply because he wouldn't exist if anyone didn't make him feel he wasn't just a delusion of his own twisted existence.

He had slipped out like a child with out permission. Planned it well unconsciously and succeeded.

_Come play my game  
Inhale, inhale, you're the victim  
Come play my game  
Exhale, exhale, exhale_

The bass flow through his body and he felt him self dancing faster. Not completely sensing his psyche attaching to the flesh. Not that he failed out in any of his moves, which endured to be his only purpose. If it was his purpose, he had to do it good, real good, to feel good.

Alcohol purred and blurred his brain but sure it left him eyes to see. Sad mirror images of himself, people like him, yet so different from inside. Right now they seemed to have the same goal. They were the one and the same. Who cared about them? Fools cared about one another or strangers. Inside didn't matter here.

He didn't want to be aware of any intelligence that might have still been hiding in his head after the killing doze of liquid drug.

Music slowed down for a moment and forced him to do the same. How heavy his limps felt, he realized. How long had he been here, he didn't know. He had left his watch home. He could tell the music was starting to speed up. Something in him tried to say no, but the other part didn't want to hear it and he let the flow take him away again.

_Breathe the pressure  
Come play my game I'll test ya_

Words echoed to his ears and to his knowledge but he couldn't anymore comprehend what were the words saying. The beat resonated over the floor to his feet and kept him on the move. He could feel how his body ached for every budge he made. In some level he acknowledged all of it what was going to happen soon if he didn't stop.

_Psychosomatic addict insane  
Breathe the pressure_

For a second he heard things from a far, but then suddenly his hearing came back and he felt a bit clearer.

_Come play my game I'll test ya_

It wasn't maintaining sensation of clarity. Lights flashed in a perfect timing to annoy him and make him hallucinate. Would his body fail him at last, he wondered off in a place inside his head and closed his eyes for a second. The room was going around in circles and he fought to keep his consciousness. But he couldn't stop. Stopping wasn't an option, no way, he couldn't, he mustn't, and it was out of the question. Stopping would make everything go back to black as it had been.

So it wasn't an option. Why his body wouldn't fail already, why this had to still continue, he thought. Why did he have to keep on going? Why couldn't he just die tonight?

_Psycho-_

The once happy beat bounded in his head painfully provoking him. Continuance was torturous. Would the end be bliss then? Would he find out? He wanted to find out.

_-somatic addict insane_

For some reason he recognised one of the dancers who'd been dancing there quite a long time. He had come closer. Rikimaru looked at his blue eyes but he didn't look back at his thought they were now dancing separate but together.

He liked the offer as he felt it easier to keep in rhythm as he had something to focus on. The music had taken a slow turn. He wasn't drunk, not in Rikimaru's eyes, just plain cute, even as he was a blond. And somewhat familiar.

"You seemed a little tired? Thought you wouldn't mind if I dance with you?" The man said and partly shouted.

"…Don't mind at all…" He shook his head.

_Come play my game  
Inhale, inhale, you're the victim  
Come play my game  
Exhale, exhale, exhale_

For a minute there everything had turned slow and he'd seen it. Pictured himself laying dead on the floor. Film in his head had nearly been cut. It's been so long since that has happened to me, Rikimaru thought. Who was this man? Rikimaru decided not to make the first move or even the second. He had come here to be alone in a crowd, not alone with someone.

He had a little control over him self.

_Breathe with me  
_

The rhythm flew trough him whole and placid again. He considerate to forget about tomorrow as it wasn't very likely that tomorrow would remember this moment. Idea tingled in his brain; would there be a tomorrow? At the moment the thought seemed pleasurable if not peaceful; for not to wake up anymore to face the handover that waited.

_Breathe with me  
_

Sadness washed over him like nothing of his earlier feelings. It crushed him and he felt like crying. He didn't cry. Tiers wouldn't come out. Good sign he thought. His body didn't anymore respond to simplest functions. Would it react to pain?

He wasn't sure was he laughing out loud now, his eyes closed at the minute.

_Breathe the pressure  
Come play my game I'll test ya  
Psychosomatic addict insane  
Breathe the pressure  
Come play my game I'll test ya  
Psycho-somatic addict insane  
_

He hated to think and focused his still remaining observation to the words that perished under the other beats. Soon he noticed the works didn't make sense anymore if they ever had. He still had left the remains of the knowledge of his body and again focused to make every single muscle move as if he's live would depend on it.

_Come play my game  
Inhale, inhale, you're the victim  
Come play my game  
Exhale, exhale, exhale_

Light flashed over the crowd and then became dark. He didn't hear anything or see. Is this what is to be between life and death, the thought crossed in his mind.

He noticed he didn't like it.

_Breathe with me  
_

Ocean of light drifted pass him and he heard again. Sudden flash of light waked him from the oddly comfortable, safe place inside his mind he'd rested way too long time.

_Breathe the pressure  
Come play my game I'll test ya  
Psychosomatic addict insane  
Breathe the pressure  
Come play my game I'll test ya  
Psycho_

_-somatic addict insane  
_

Everything was light. This was probably what the Buddhist monks experienced when they enlightened and mind separated from the body. He began to feel it too, even in his consciousness, his mind started to float. For a one last time, for this night, he felt content.

_Come play my game  
Inhale, inhale, you're the victim  
Come play my game  
Exhale, exhale, exhale_

Song: Prodigy; "Breathe"


	3. Suspicion

**Urban theory; chapter 3**

Ayame sat behind her desk riffling trough the papers that had nested there.

"I'll be going now…" Jake sang out. "…Are you sure you wanna be doing all that paper work today…?" He smirked.

Ayame barely even looked at him as she was signing some paper. "No… As I'm done with this pile… I'll be leaving at early weekend… so you just have fun patrolling till the dark…"

"…You got plans?"

"Yeah, Kiku turned fifteen yesterday… Were going to eat together…"

"Okay… have fun…"

"I will…"

Jake had left and complete silence landed in the room. Ayame looked at the door and let the pencil trop from her fingers. She looked at the clock. It was five eleven am. This day is never gonna end, she thought. She didn't felt like concentrating to the paper work right now, but didn't want to leave before the lunch. That would have been too easy and for once she had time to think with out anyone interrupting.

It has been a whole month now… Should I take this seriously…? He's trying to hide it and maybe that is just the thing that worries me. I wish I would know who this mystery man is. I could talk to him maybe see if he really is that bad as he seems.

Oh, what am I going to do with all these files?

She looked at the clock again. Only a few minutes had passed. There was a coffee on the table next to her. It had stood there the whole forenoon. Well, coffee is all ways coffee, she thought and poured it into her cup. Spicy. She let the donuts be in the wrapping and didn't take one. There had to be a reason why her relationships didn't last.

The coffee tasted like something scraped from bottom of a tire. She winced and put the cup away forcing her self to forget it was there.

Five past eleven.

Why am I so worried of how is he doing? He's all crown up. Thought he should manage alone in an apartment. And then again, he's not alone, but with some stranger. Should that make me feel better about him?

What's the use wasting my time here. I'll just go home and see that he's fine.

She picked her coat from the chair when an idea popped in to her head and she stopped.

Wonder if the guy has a criminal record? Let's see, what has Rikimaru told me about him? He's suppose to be an artist, but most likely if he calls him self Oni, he's probably in some time of his life admitted some sort of a crime.

I still don't get it how Rikimaru falls for a sleazy copycat?

She sat back on her chair and looked trough the register in the computer. First she used the search term; Oni.

91 081 match(es).

What else did she knew about him? Age maybe? She sighted forgetting the thought. You never knew about Rikimaru.

Has acted as an artist; 1 000 match(es).

Male and a black hair; 761 match(es).

She thought it over, _last seen around here…_ 1 match(es).

She clicked the name and the file discovering all opened. There was a picture of him. Just the type Rikimaru would fall to, she thought and then remembered him mentioning that he had a long black hair. In the picture he looked nothing like Rikimaru had described. Eyes said that he was at least a psychopath, his head was shaved completely making him look like a chairman of neofascists and by all accounts he must have been a junkie too or at least suffering for some illness.

His data didn't mention anything so it must have been the withdrawal symptoms.

Ayame didn't for some reason believe it could have been him Rikimaru was broken hearted for. He didn't fall for losers like she did. At least not in such, big league losers, as he looked to be. What had he been convicted for? She leafed for curiosity. He'd sat the whole two days until he was released for medical reasons.

Medical reasons, she thought, what a load of shit. He had a cake for five years. No one is realised for that sentence so slightly.

Maybe 'the artist' knew some important people.

The record of his crime had been deleted and it said it had been a fault judgement. What, no candy store robbery then? She thought sarcastically.

Rikimaru was good to be rid of him: If he ever wanted to be a lawyer again. That sort of man meant all ways trouble.

It was quarter over eleven as she eyes the clock on the wall. She took a one look over the picture and first thought just to close the window but then dissuaded to print it. There was even an address. Maybe she could see how the things evolved and meddle in if the situation needed that. She wrote the needed information on the picture and left it on the top of the pile.

---

"Hello…! Anyone home?" Ayame stepped in slamming the door behind her. She was loud on purpose as she didn't want to walk in a middle of things.

Voice came somewhere near the couch even she didn't see him sitting on it. "…How was your day, honey?"

"…You alone?" She peaked over the couch finding him laying there and smirking lazily.

"Why do you ask a thing like that…pumpkin… I wouldn't cheat on you, would I…?"

"So he left?"  
"...Who?"

"…Oh yes, what went over me… Didn't think you'd actually know his name…"

"…Funny… He left all most right after you…"

Ayame tripped her jacket on the armchair and sat down. "…Did you wrap it?"

"Yep… it's on the kitchen table… I think I'm going to go and dress up…"

He's doing it again. Hiding, avoiding and pretending to be okay. I just wonder how long has he been lying on that couch?

Maybe I'm wrong? God, I hope I am. I probably should get up too and change my clothing, take a shower or something.

I hope Kiku like's the present. Poor girl needs to know that someone cares. I wonder what it's like to crow up with out a mother and your dad so often late at work? I didn't exactly have a mother nor dad but close relatives still and I had Rikimaru as my friend. I could all ways count on him no matter what.

How long have I known her? Is it thirteen years now since I first baby sit her. She was such a adorable child and persisted. Followed me everywhere, despite that she barely could walk. I remember how it irritated me at first when she was all ways imitating me.

She feels like family. More family than my own relatives I haven't seen since three years as I graduated from police academy. Her dad must be a nice old man. Kiku is all ways telling me and Rikimaru about what they did together. It's partially a miracle that he finds the time for his daughter since he is running the business by him self. Thought I'm not sure is it still like that, thought an old middle-aged man can't do all the work by himself. Especially at garage.

It would be nice to get to know him for Kiku's sake at least.

Her phone rang suddenly. Who could it be? On, no, Ayame thought, it was from work.

"Yeah…?"

Rikimaru came in the room buttoning his grey shirt closed. He listened Ayame's comments and faintly heard someone talking at the other end. She finished the call and sighted unhappy.

"What was it?"

"…I have to stop at work…"

"What? …What about Kiku?"

"You go, take the car, someone is coming to pick me up… I'll promise, only an hour… okay?"

---

Sure right… Only an hour…

Rikimaru thought driving trough traffic. Why did he have to see Kiku's face when he'd tell her hour after hour that she was going to come?

I shouldn't be complaining. After all she puts up my face. I try to be happy and not to mope all the time, but I can't. Every time I stop it feels like I couldn't continue. I wish I could just bury myself in the sofa and never get up. Pathetic!

I wish I'd never met him.

Work seems to be the only thing that keeps my head straight in these days. Why come it isn't all as simple? Punch, block, strike, victory.

Maybe I should move on the stronger drugs or do something extreme to get away this weight load that's continuously depressing me…? Maybe I still have time to get seriously pissed before morning. Get myself, maybe Ayame and rest to a bar and… have some fun… Doubly it will work. It hasn't before. Maybe I just haven't tried enough.

Maybe I really should try something extreme, like something really stupid. Like go with Jin and Dan to that costume party at next month…. Extremely stupid idea…

Rikimaru parked the old and rusty car in front of the yellow house. He noticed there was someone at the garage yard and for curiosity hold-up before locking the car.

There was someone fixing a new Mercedes. The hood was up covering the view to the face. Rikimaru stayed and watched as he clearly hadn't been noticed and wasn't bothering anybody just at the moment. Besides there was time to wait Ayame anyway.

By far he couldn't really tell how old the man was despite that he was working shirtless and his physics were well shown. He had a short black hair, shorter than Rikimaru's, and some short of a small beard. Or was it oil, he couldn't tell so far.

"Rikimaru…!" Kiku made Rikimaru's day dream famish as she suddenly run to him. "Where's Ayame?"

The man over the car had certainly now noticed them but kept working the car.

"…Would you mind introducing me to my future missies…?" He asked of her totally encoring her question about Ayame. Partly doing so because he knew she'd be disappointed. They both knew her hours.

"Huh?" She didn't get it.

"The naked man on your loan? Haven't noticed him?"

Kiku looked at the direction Rikimaru was looking. She got her dads protecting stare while he crouched over the motor.

"Oh, him…?" She didn't know should she laugh or cry.

"Yeah… him…?"

"Come on… It's about time… anyway…"

Kiku walked with him to the car. As the man noticed this he pretended not to. Rikimaru was puzzled about him looking at them somewhat harsh. Maybe he didn't like to be stared at. Rikimaru thought to act as nonchalant as he could for not to make the other feel too vexed.

Kiku pulled Rikimaru's hand as they were nearly next to the car. "…I'd like you to meet someone…?"

"Oh yeah…?" The man said stepping away behind the car and hugging Kiku at his side. She grinned so widely she barely could talk.

Okay, Rikimaru thought, now I don't get a thing. The man looked at him like a devil on earth and Kiku for some reason was soon going to strain her jaw.

"…This is Rikimaru…"

"…Rikimaru…?" The man said and looked over Kiku like he'd such heard something strange.

"…Rikimaru… I'd like you to meet my dad…"

"…your dad…" My god, I'm just an idiot. He felt so embarrassed. "…nice to meet you…" He didn't know what else to say as they shook hands.

"…So, I finally get to meet the man my daughter spokes all the time…"

"Really…?"

"Dad…! …I go and wait inside…" Kiku turned quickly and left.

They waited for her to go inside or Rikimaru waited to get over the shock.

Dad? How old Kiku was again?

"Sorry mate, if I gave you kinda nasty look back there… I thought you were her date…" He said moving back to fix the car.

"Yeah well… I don't do girls… or even women." He thought to give him a good scare.

"I've heard… Why do you think I let you hang with my girl…?" He smirked right back.

"Okay… You know… She talks about you a lot, but I'd never…"

"…You thinking… my god, he can not be much older than me…?"

"What are you… 35?"

"Not quite… well… 31… I was about her age, when I had her… her mother died…"

"In labour… yes, she told me… I'm sorry…"

He got up and wiped his hands in a towel of some short. "So…" He took the rest down and trop down the hood. "…you're a lawyer?"

"Not at the minute… I'm teaching self defence in sports centre."

"…So you're taking a year off? Sounds nice…"

"Yeah short of… I game to realize that I was giving my all to a company that didn't give shit about me...so why stay…"

"Got a point there, start your own firm…? It's not easy, but at least you know for whom and what are you working for…"

"…You know what…That's not a bad idea…"

Gohda took his shirt of his waist and pulled it on. "…Weren't here suppose to be two of you? …Ayame or something?"

"…She had a call from work, but she should be on her way here…"

"That's a shame… I would have liked to meet her too… She is a she, right?" He asked half joking.

"Sometimes she seems more of a guy than me, but I'm afraid she, really is a she…"

"Okay, just making sure… See you, I have to take this beauty back to its owner… It was nice to meet you…"

"Yep… See you…" He looked at him getting in the car and then walked to the front door. Kiku's dad backed from the yard.

Before Rikimaru pressed the call bell another car arrived leaving Ayame on the road. Ayame ran to the door catching Rikimaru's stare.

"…What? …Do I have a beard or something?"

Rikimaru smirked decided not to tell her about his latest discovery.

"…What!" She started smiling herself. "…You gone crazy or what…?"

"…Have I ever told you how beautiful you look?"

"…You forget the present, didn't you, jackass?"

"…No, it's in the car…"

She looked over him like a wife looks at his husband after a 25 years of marriage life. "Well? Go and get it?"

He went down the dew steps trying to control his face. "Sure…"

She pushed the bell and waited.

"…Sometimes you scare me Rikimaru Azuma…!"

He was getting to the car. "I know, I know…"


	4. Aya & Riki

**Urban theory; chapter 4**

Ayame looked over her shoulder as she was sitting over the bar desk into the middle of flashing lights and darkness. That was a mistake because when she scanned the room she received a several sleazy smirks that almost made her choke to her drink. Why did I let Rikimaru convince me to come here half naked, she thought?

The bartender must have seen the horrified look in her eyes as she smiled so very nicely. He wasn't drunk now was he, she found her self thinking.

"Another one, miss?"

"…Sure, why not…" She briefly smiled back offering to pay.

"…This one is on the house."

"Oh thank you…"

She felt how strong arm found its way around her waist. She would have reacted to it soon but Rikimaru already purred to her ear. "…Having fun?"

The bartender looked over them, smiled, different than before and moved away to serve some other customer.

"I was…! Until you came and made all the men vanish around me…"

"Yeah, I'm sorry… I do have that kind of an effect sometimes… How many have you taken? Those guys just aren't even near the same level as you…"

"…I was talking about the bartender…"

"Oh…" Rikimaru pulled back and sat on one of the chairs. He took a look over the man behind the bar. "…Not bad, but you do realize he won't get off before the closing?"

"I know… Just my luck, isn't it? ...So was the loo any better? You were away awful lot of time…" She tried to keep a straight face.

"No I wasn't… …What do you think of me…! …and no, it, wasn't…"

She blurted out, whatever, and greedily fixed her lips on the reddish yellow drink.

"…Thanks for dragging me here with you… I don't think I could hav…"

"…Don't thank me! …I'm the one who's drinking and you're just baby-sitting…Besides I really should be helping you… But I don't know how as you're going to keep telling me your okay…" Normally she would have waited for him to tell her that he really was okay if not more, but suddenly her ears registered a familiar song. "We have to go and dance this…!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him on the floor.

"…What song is this! And how many have you actually had while I was away?"

Oh… what is this called? …Something… mea!"

"What!"

"From faithless!"

"What are they playing, the oldies!"

"No, it's a classic!"

"Yeah whatever, I have danced this so many times…!"

"Don't be a prude! I haven't got the time to run in the bar every night like someone!"

"Fine, fine!"

Few songs, few drinks and two hours later:

"…I'm gona take a break! Will you stay here!" Rikimaru asked Ayame who was still going on non stop on the dance floor.

"You have no durability…!"

"Well you wouldn't know about that! I'll go get some water…!"

He left Ayame dancing even as he was a bit worried to leave her there alone. There seemed to be people well over the safety regulations because it was so hard to get trough the mass. Finally he reached the bar and waited for his turn.

The music wasn't so loud here so he could easily hear what were the two men saying next to him on the desk.

"When has Oni last time held an exhibition of his own?"

"I can't remember… How does the guy life?"

"He probably does customized work… That's what I'd do if I had such a big name…"

"Yeah right, you'd just use it to get laid…" The other laughed.

"So? Like he wouldn't. I heard he has some new girl in sight, right now…"

"Bastard, should save us one… or two…"

Rikimaru stared bitterly at their backs. Someone tapped on his shoulder. Rikimaru could see how the two men turned towards the one behind his back. Oh no, it can't be, he thought as panic and then anger washed trough his body.

He was clearly surprised when he noticed it was Ayame. Luckily she was that much drunk she wasn't fast enough to read the unmentionable face Rikimaru had for some time. Rikimaru cursed himself for being sometimes so self-centred. Of course the men next to him had accidentally swallowed their tongues spotting her happy half drunk, half naked feminine appearance.

Rikimaru pulled her next to him, safe from the lusty looks and lectured himself, why had he convinced her to come here dressed as she was. "What are you having?"

"I think plain water would do nice…"

"No way girl…"

"Mr. Azuma, you aren't planning to get me drunk and home with you, are you?"

"What if I am planning just that…? Tequila… Four." He continued to the bartender.

"…I'm afraid to ask… Four?"

"Don't worry, Ill assist you…"

Half an hour after the closing time:

Rikimaru paid the taxi as Ayame was opening the door to the stairway.

"Wait up…!" Rikimaru catches the door before it closed despite that he'd almost fallen over on his way to it. Ayame laughed for the clumsy Rikimaru and waited him.

"…Don't think I'll ever make it up… it's such a long way and my feet are killing me…" She took of her high heeled shoes.

"Stop nacking, I'm not gona carry you like last time…"

"Since when! Have you. Ever. Carried me!"

"Don't remember, do you?"

Surprisingly soon they managed to get at their floor. Rikimaru waited for Ayame as she was few steps behind him. "You got the keys…?"

"There I have such a reliable baby-sitter, can't even remember the keys…" She unlocked the door. "Can not be with out a drink for one night…"

They went in and closed the door. "… Can't even stop me from dancing my self to dead… Shall I continue…?"

"Please don't…"

"So you are going to tell me whats the matter?"

"Hmmm… no. Are you going to the shower first or…?"

"Did you see him there?"

"…Who?"

"Don't do that…?" She walked to the sofa and leaned over the back support. Rikimaru looked finally to her over his armchair.

"…This is so stupid… I hear someone talking about him… Sad really, as I finally cleared him out of my mind, someone mentions him… I'm cursed, what can I do… You going to the shower or not? Or do I have to drag you in there?"

"…Don't tempt me…" She shook her finger laughing a little.

He was surprised that she didn't say anything more. Just walked into the bath room and soon he heard the water running.

Maybe this was getting a little too pathetic. But how could he change the way he felt almost constantly. What was so special about him? Nothing? Maybe he should start a new hobby or something to get new interests into his life.

He could feel the down fall coming and thought better of to get some sleep before that.

Morning was unusually sunny and for some reason it didn't bother him. Almost cheered him up a bit. He rolled over and looked at his lock: 12:15 am.

The flat was quiet so he thought she wouldn't be up just yet. After all she had more drinks than he had. He thought he really should make up to her that she'd looked his moping long enough now and got up. He peaked into her room finding her curled up inside a thick planked, sleeping like a beauty. She would sleep still at least an hour, he thought taking some of her hair off her face.

He went to have a shower and brush his teeth. He looked at his mirror image thinking about last night. It was all too clear in his memory. And Ayame had to witness it all, he was ashamed. Which was strange, because they had no secrets or courtesy between them. They had know each other way pass that stage.

Beginning at this morning he would start to be happy again and not to be a prude like she would say.

After he had made a simple breakfast he thought to wake her up. Breakfast in bed still might not be a good idea as he wasn't sure exactly how bad she would feel. She was more or less awake for his luck.

"You awake?" He kneeled next to the bed as she rubbed her eyes and yawned pulling the blanket back up to her arms.

"…What's the time?"

"…Nearly half past one…"

"…Really? On what day?"

"Day after Saturday, I think… Get up, I made breakfast."

He saw how she winced.

"Or… You can have some extra strong coffee?"

"Coffee? Yes, please…"

"Stay, I'll get it…"

"And some pain killers, will you?"

He came back with a cup of coffee and tablets.

"Yes coffee…! Come to mama, you dear black substance…"

Rikimaru handed her the cup like she would have been some sort of a dangerous beast that might bite off his hand. He watched her gulp down her medicines as he sat on a chair next to her work desk.

"You mind throwing me that sweater?" She pointed a pile of clothes behind him.

She pulled on the slight red sweater that had over sized sleeves and v-neck continuing to drink her coffee. "…How can you be so… fresh?"

"I'm the baby-sitter remember? …I can get your car back today…"

"With what?"

"I think I'm gonna jog there and drive back…"

"It's quite a far… You don't have to do that. I'm a cop, the truck delivery will soon tow it to the pound, which is next to the police station and I don't even have to pay for it because Jake knows someone from there…"

"I don't mind jogging, honestly… Or don't you trust my driver skills?"

"Go get if you feel like it…" She finished her coffee. "You mentioned something about breakfast?"

She got up from the bed before he could stop her. Walking to her closet bare footed, she looked for her pyjama pants. "You cooking?" The sweater covered half of her hips as her grey under pants peeped under its hem.

"…Yep"

"My, my… why does it bother me…"

"…What?"

"You making food. If my memory serves me right you aren't any better than the one in question…?"

"…I had some practice… I can make toasters now… with butter and everything…"

"…Lucky me…" Ayame muttered walking outside the room her pyjamas over her shoulder.


	5. New job

**Urban theory; chapter 5**

I have never felt so cheap and used as I do now. Why is it different? Or maybe it's not him or even what we did last night. It's just the morning. Free Saturday all to myself. Even the thought makes my brain hurt.

He's almost done dressing and looks over me smiling. Adorable smile, little air headed, but still.

He wants to know if I'll be visiting the club in the next days. I wish he would just go away.

We kiss for a good bye and he leaves. Finally I think and roll over in the bed. Can't help to think that I was such as irritating little boy to Oni.

No, I'm not going to think about him. Not after two months. He hasn't even called me. Well I trough my phone in the river and took every effort to disappear, but I got another phone and another apartment. He would have found me if he wanted.

Let's see, do I have anywhere to go to. Where on earth is my calendar? Should probably clean my room before she kicks me out. Not that she would be too tidy herself.

It seems that it is the costume night. Don't know if I will find the will to go. I don't even have anything to wear. Thought I kinda promised to my friends. What's this? A business card? With a photograph? Why does he seem so familiar and where did I get this?

He laid down to his stomach playing with the card when he faintly remembered some blurry image in back of his head. It was the time when he'd ventured the bar alone and nearly got him self an alcohol poisoning.

It still sometimes seemed like yesterday as he had left from Oni, but that night in a bar felt to be years back even as it had happened after. He compared his very, very drunk night to his usual slightly drunk nights. Had anything changed in these months? He still drank and partied trough nights and in days he thought. Where was his live going?

He wasn't into psychoanalysing him self or his little too reckless behaviour and instead concentrated to think how the hell he had come home that night. Unwontedly he remembers his scary thoughts at the time. It was a pure miracle he'd ended up home that night as getting home wasn't then his top priority. More likely to the cemetery.

He looks at the card in his hands. Was he the guy he had been dancing with? He was a Co of a company that manufactured robots. He remembered that the law firm he'd been working in had represented this company in some inside matters. Did the young manager remember him, after so long time?

The night was confusion, but not as much a blur as it had been. He realized he had been crying then. He had thought he didn't. Now he could almost feel how the tears had formed their path down to his cheeks. Mere thought made him feel embarrassed and he moved on in his thoughts.

He had a memory of sitting in a limousine and the man giving him this card. The other man had talked nearly the whole way to Ayame's flat. He'd heard about his resignation. Told him he admired his courage and if Rikimaru ever needed anything or wanted to talk he could take contact with him. Had he even winked him that there might be a job open for him when he'd wanted it?

Nice man, but not a nice man to owe with, Rikimaru thought. His business wasn't all even near legal. It was hard to believe, he looked so young and innocent in the picture. Maybe he should give him a call someday, just to thank him or forget it and but all in fault of being so pissed he couldn't possible remember.

He didn't want to be dragged back to work as a lawyer nor did he want to mix with criminals. While on to that thought Rikimaru had dressed up and made his way to the kitchen. The moment when he stepped out of the room silence that dominated the flat made him wonder if he was alone in there. It was Saturday, Ayame shouldn't be at work? He walked to her closed door and was about to knock when he heart a silent snoring from the room.

He smiled and sneaked away letting her get some sleep. It had been a hard week for her. From Monday to Thursday she made well over twelve hour days and on Friday, she wasn't home when he went out. Poor girl, he thought picking up the morning paper from the floor. She worked too much. It was partially the only thing she had time for. He made some porridge and read the paper while eating it carefully for not to burn his tongue.

The weather forecast predicted rain for the next week, maybe even thunder. Nice, some change for the contentious monsoons: Rain with a sound. There wasn't anything else that would have interested him to read. Something about new plants in the park and another article buss traffic. He leaved trough it and the cartoons, of course, before he comes across the big headline he's managed to miss at the front page.

Van Gogh hits again! 150 000 dollar painting stolen, the title said. The headline was written so disturbingly big that it hurt to watch.

He read on the article. It was taken from a gallery he had never been. The painting that had been stolen had been donated to the gallery just last week. The security was on code red and alert round the clock, but still they had no clues of how it had been taken, when exactly had the crime accrued or had the burglar left marks of his visit. They just assumed it was the gang of three art thief's that had become famous by stealing a Van Gogh last year. The three were never caught even they probably were behind some other missing artworks.

Rikimaru paused and thought if Ayame was handling the case as she had come home so late. Or was she seeing someone behind his back? He heightened the thought in his brain until his eyes catches a line of words in the text in front of his face. He nearly swallowed the porridge in a wrong throat. The painting that had been stolen was named; Liquid heaven.

His painting, Rikimaru's brain cramped. The painting that they had discussed. The painting he himself gave the idea for. The cursed painting that had brought them together like a fairy godmother and then left them hanging on their own and now it popped back to fitness his self destruction. Why else would that stupid thing be on the paper on the one morning in the week he actually read the damn paper?

Fuck.

He suppressed the urge to tier the paper and stuff it in the garbage with rotten apples and looked the walls of the kitchen like looking for some short of a sign of hope. He sighted realizing he was far from over this guy. Why, he asked himself. No, this time he was going to be cool about it. No strange fits, drugs or walking over a road with out really looking or hearing. He turned the page and wondered what next. Maybe he should read the text. It said; Open classes for art devotee! He turned the page.

Open jobs.

Not a bad idea, Rikimaru thought. He should put his mind and body in use in order to get away from his free time. It seemed to become dangerous even to read the papers.

Rikimaru stepped into a nice looking bookshop that had looked for shop assistant in the paper. The door had a bell, but no-one seemed to have heard it. "…Hello? …Is anyone here?"

Footsteps came behind some shelve. Old and crinkled man in his 70's looked behind shelve, narrowed his eyes to see if he'd heart someone. He walked closer in the same time cleaning his classes with his sleeve. "Can I help you?" He said smiling.

"You had a job offer on to days paper? I was hoping the place is still open…?"

The old man put the classes on his nose and looked at him up right. The age had weight down this already short man and he looked like a midget standing so close to Rikimaru.

"…Hhmmm…Yes, I was actually looking for someone younger…"

"…Younger?"

"…No offence but I don't think this job will be very challenging for your age and it's a part time. I can't lift up these books anymore, not like I used to, so I need someone younger to do it for me… Little cleaning around here and some… And I can't bay you much… This business isn't exactly blooming like it used to…If you still want the place… lets say for two days in a week…? You can have it…?"

"…I'll take it…"

"Great… Now come here…" The man said walking to where he had come from. "You can start right away?"

"…Yes, I was hoping so…"

It didn't take long as Rikimaru was already and completely sank into assorting just arrived books to the upper shelves. He had been working seven hours and the clock was closing six pm. It was Saturday so the shop had closed already at four. Only a few customers had come but all of them had bought pile of books.

Most of the books or at least the half were rare that you didn't see in the other bookshops and the other half consisted for what was keeping them in business; new books like Potters and cooking books like 101 vegetarian dreams. There were also cartoons, rare and not so rare and a whole two shelves dedicated to Japanese manga. Rikimaru filled the empty pars of shelve according to the author's last name, which he thought seemed a very incoherent way to arrange them, especially the manga part. Fiction was mixed with fact combined with horror. He came across with a book he'd read few years back, since he was still studying. Not a very good book, just something he had to read to pass. great book to pass.

Title written in bright red letters caught his eye. On the cover of the book was printed a picture of lotus flower and the title read; Kamasutra. Once before he had seen that book, he remembered. It had been on Jin's living room table while Jin still lived with his parent's. Jin hadn't admitted it was his but tolled him and Ayame it was his big sisters or parents. Jin had blushed helplessly while Ayame had read some parts of it out loud. Rikimaru smiled for the memory, a shy Jin, who would have guessed that now. He put the book back remembering all too well what it hold in.

It was nice to remember something good for a change, he thought. Lately he had had nothing but the bad ones.

"Fine book isn't it?" The old man said grinning. Rikimaru hadn't noticed him, sneaky old man.

"…Yeah…"

"…My wife was originally Indian so she brought those books in these shelves… I had my daubs, after all this was highly valued shop then… Well… She convinced me, told me about the books historical value and so… " He smiled shortly. "…She passed away five years ago…"

"…I'm sorry…"

"Well… that's live I guess… You can go for now… I'll see you at Thursday?"

Rikimaru nodded.

"…At eight? The books load comes at half nine, you can unpack those and… do little arranging, that will be a shorter day than this…"

"Okay… I'll see you then. I'll take these in the back and be off…"

It was ten to seven pm. when he came home. The flat was dark and silent. Was she still sleeping, he thought already worried? He put the lights on and walked to her door that was open. She wasn't there.

He sighted unhappy missing her company. Had she left a note in freezer door? He put the lights on the kitchen as well but noticed that the white door had nothing on it. Instead there was a paper box on the table and a yellow post-it stamp on it.

Ayame's handwriting said; Had to go to work till Monday, enjoy the peace. Dan called to remind about the costume night. Um, cold pizza under this note… Bon Apetit! Miss your sexy ass, love Ayame.

He had to smile for it. She just couldn't use the opportunity for someone finding the little paper and making some miss assumptions that he would have to explain like; honestly she's only my roommate, a good friend and that's how we joke. People really didn't buy that.

He put the pizza in the microwave looking at the clock, it was something over seven. The party started at nine. What on earth would he wear?


	6. Tatsumaru

**Urban theory; chapter 6**

Tatsumaru felt him self stupid, ridicules and insecure.

It had seemed a very good idea last night when he'd patched his bruised cheek. So at the Saturday morning he walked to the nearest costume shop and rented the most skin covering suit he could find after the nun habit. And who would have thought it was probably the most ridicules after the first choice; a vivid fool.

It was obvious that this man wasn't master of the weather because it was probably the most beautiful star night in a month. Thought it might have been a small plus to his day that he wasn't walking in the rain and freezing in wet clothes. It was so nice night that some couples had also dissuade to walk at the restaurant or to the movies or where ever they were going. Blond woman leaned on her boyfriends arm as they laughed happily seeing only each others. He looked after them in envy.

When he walked towards the mansion in where the affair was hold he didn't feel cheerful. Despite he had a hat with six bells, whole body costume with violet and red stripes and shoes like maharaja. He also had a mask to cover his eyes, which was most likely the only thing he was thankful right now. He didn't want to go there, but he had to. He had to write his stupid name to that list so that his boss wouldn't look at him with a wrong eye. He sighted and walked along hoping and wishing no-one wouldn't recognise him or see true his disguise of how fragile he really felt.

It was night and dark again, dark like last night. He had stood in his flat, in fort of a mirror, stark naked and tiers in his eyes. Even as there weren't any lights on, the spots on his skin could be seen perfectly. How these things always just happened to him, he had thought later laying on the floor naked, too tired to rise up.

What had happened earlier? How much earlier was more like the real question he needed the answer for. He was living in a lie like when he had lived still in home. He had left to study and later to work so that his parents wouldn't find out his secret. They were very religious and would never except the fact that their oldest son liked men. It took long enough for him to admit it and accept. How long would it take for the whole family to accept him as whom he was. If he even knew that anymore. First he'd thought he was a freak of nature or weak or just insane or maybe all those three together.

Now he seemed to have enough to think of with out those questions.

What had made him think a bit differently, he wasn't sure? Anything that great hadn't happened if anything. Maybe he'd just accepted another lie to live with. It wasn't working. He was hurting maybe more than ever. Last night he'd made one of many mistakes and got hit in a face. So what did he do? Went to drink his head full and get some comfort from a wrong place. Tape was pretty much empty until he woke up in pain under some guy he never met before. It didn't felt so bad afterwards as he would have thought. Maybe it was because he had spent half of the time unconscious. Like it was the first time someone forced himself on him. He just wanted to be having some compassion, understanding from another guy, was it so hard to get?

He wrote his name on the list after stepping in. No-one didn't pay much of an attention to him. Maybe he would just stay for five minutes and leave home to cuddle in misery that surely awaited him to return already.

In the middle of bright colours and funny costumes one stepped out so clearly that the others looked him like a black sheep. This man hadn't dressed up for the occasion or at least that is how it looked like. He had a strange hair, completely grey if not silvery. Weakly Tatsumaru could see his profile. He wasn't old as his hair led to understand. He couldn't help put to stare.

He looked at him up and down and mostly down trying very hard to see what was under that suit. His heart stopped beating when he noticed he looked back at him, a bit amused look on his, oh so, handsome face. Yes, of course he was amused; after all he was wearing the fool's suit. Tatsumaru looked away quickly.

What was he doing now, Tatsumaru questioned himself. He was supposed to put his name on the list, look around a bit and leave. Not to check out that angelic man who was so obviously straighter than a straight line between two dots. No, absolutely wrong, he wouldn't do it again.

He looked back to the man to find him smiling back at him yet still. He swallowed hard, gave him a hasty smile and looked away. Come on, he couldn't possibly look that funny. Or maybe the man had no sense of humour according to his choice of outfit. In the corner of his eye Tatsumaru could see him walking towards him. "…You don't seem very cheerful for a king's fool?"

It didn't sound a brood's line or what would he know Tatsumaru thought his heard razing. "Even the fool can get tried of being mocked at all the time, maybe I just had a bad day…"

"Let me guess… You are here because your boss practically blackmailed you to come, am I right?"

"…How did you guess…?"

"…Have some bad experiences about it and these events… I'm Rikimaru." He gave him his hand and Tatsumaru accepted it.

"…Ayame." He lied his name. He had no reason to do that or had he, he couldn't decide. "For who are you here?"

"Actually I was supposed to be my friends date, but he's late. Can't probably dissuade what to wear. I… used to work as a lawyer and had to take part in here. How about you? Don't remember you from the court?"

"Oh no… I'm just a simple stock market player, nothing fancy. …So that's way you aren't dressed…" He had already slipped it out before he realized.

"…Sorry, what?"

"I mean… you are not wearing a costume, are you?"

Tatsumaru could see he was considering something very hard. He didn't look too much longer to find out was it a wicked smile as he pictured it or just plain; can't believe you said that, you dump?

"…Sure I am…" Rikimaru said and opened his arms saying. "Guess…"

Oh yes, Tatsumaru thought, twirl around one more time and take your clothes of while you're at it. He was almost lost somewhere around Rikimaru's middle when he remembered the silly game. "…Um… hard to say… A brude?" He blushed when he finally looked up and noticed he'd been caught at staring.

"I give you a hint. I'm from a movie…"

"A brude form a movie… Let's see…? FBI? CIA? No?...Men in black?"

Rikimaru just shook his head.

"…I know, Brat Bit from the movie Meet Joe black?"

"Now that you say it… Yeah, I could be…"

"So you don't know what you are? That's nice…"

"Keanu Reeves… From Devil's lawyer. You know the one with Al Pacino?"

"Yeah… Al was… good… in that film…" Tatsumaru said first thinking of some other word to describe the man.

"Well, Reeves was cool anyways…" He pretended to be hurt and looked away.

Hot more probable, Tatsumaru thought and shamed right after that he was or more likely wasn't thinking. A phone rand and it was his. "Excuse me, probably my date calling at last…" He said and Tatsumaru knew he would soon disappear. Suddenly he didn't want him to go because he seemed by now so warm and gentle that he wanted to find out was he really so.

He put the phone away and he could tell he wasn't pleased. "…My date just told me he hasn't got anything to wear and isn't gona come…"

Tatsumaru tried to cover his smile. He would have to thank God later on. "…Oh? That's a shame, but makes two of us…"

"Guy like you and you don't have a date? Why not?"

"…Long story…"

"Care to be my date for this evening?"

Hold on a second, Tatsumaru searched for the choice of words. Was the guy trying to be funny or was he honestly flirting with him?

"…Well why the hell not…" No harm in little bit of flirt.

"That's more like it."

"Maybe I won't die now, before the midnight as I have someone to talk to…"

"My thoughts exactly…"

Soon all the quests were called in some scale small theatre and they were forced to watch some kind of a movie. No-one really got the hang of what was it about until the text reviled it was theirs host's son who had made it in hopes of getting in to a valued art school. No-one said what they all were thinking; a lot of film would have been saved and the world would be a better place if that school would have taken bribes.

Tatsumaru and Rikimaru sat in a box with a married couple. After one hour they got pored and left leaving them alone. Tatsumaru knew that the other had made notice those two leaving. The box was quite well sheltered. Why was he thinking it? He felt restless being alone with him, which he knew was stupid. But it was the truth now wasn't it? He was like a piece of cloth that anyone could use, when they wanted, how they wanted and not caring to listen if he had an opinion about it. Sometimes he felt like he would have a 'whore' tattooed across his face.

Tatsumaru sensed somehow that the other was going to say something before he had even opened his mouth. Well he'd been patient enough, Tatsumaru thought, and waited to hear some short of a line that told him to get on his knees and be a good boy.

His heart jumped in desperation more tired and sad than frightened. He didn't look at him but could tell his tone was cold. The line had completely gone trough and trough until Tatsumaru picked on the pieces.

He had said. "This movie is so fucking killing my brain with a bland axe…This has to be illegal…"

It was Rikimaru's luck that there were only left fifteen minutes of it. After which the quest were lead to the dining room that was full of little round tables for eight. It was a little late for to be having dinner but that didn't really bother the rich and famous who had the time and money to play with their exotic foods.

Tatsumaru was grateful that the seats weren't divided in forehand. It would have been awkward to explain it, if he'd just made up an excuse in time.

They were seated with three more guests. Large portion much have made a run up while they still played the movie, if you could call it that. There was a couple that had made clear they were just engaged before even sitting down. The woman constantly played with the ring, not smiling but contented that she'd catch such a big fish. She looked dangerous, like a shark, constantly looking for a smaller fish to chew. Not that she was hungry or needy but lived for the games she played.

Her husband to be didn't seem very interesting, even thought you could see the same characteristics that you first saw in her. In love with him self, obsessed with power and so full of secrets that most certainly someone was blackmailing him. He sat lazily in his chair which seemed to be the opposite from her fiancée who was perfectly situated to her bottom like a model.

The third one of the croup was a single male in his twenties or thirties. He was dressed as a peacock and quite surprisingly this man seemed to have done it with style, despite all the feathers. He had no shame when it game to looking after a pretty skirt. Born with a gold spoon in somewhere. He probably had the Ferrari waiting for him at the stairs.

"So, what do you guys do?" The fiancé asked from Rikimaru and Tatsumaru.

"…We're not actually working together…" Tatsumaru started. "But I'm in stock exchange and he's…"

"…I practice law…"

"Oh dear, a lawyer, honey…" He said to his wife to be. "Don't tell me you handle company maters, do you?"

"I used to, but I got bored to been bossed around…"

"Hear, hear!" Yelled the single chap in their table lifting up his class.

"Actually I have thought to start a business my self, but that it's still unfortunately in child's shoes…"

The man seemed interested. "All on your own?"

"Yes…?"

The man chuckled. "That's tuff luck… Never going to work in this town, unless… you got some magnificent supporters…"

The woman knew something that he didn't and made it clear by the tone of her voice. "But the new bright associate of the oldest law firm in town don't need anyone to back him up, do you?" She smiled as it took some time to her husband to comprehend.

"…Former associate… I resigned, heard of it?"

"Better yet, I saw it."

The two seemed to be so into this conversation that the others had no saying into it.

"You think I blew it all…"

"…Yes… Yes you did. But…" She leaned closer over the table just so she could show that this was inside information. "…It's not like you ruined everything by doing what you did… In time they might let you crawl back."

Tatsumaru wondered what had he done or how exactly had he resigned if half of the town knew it. Tatsumaru forgot all about that when he realized the woman was flirting with Rikimaru. How dared she, he thought furious although he had no claim on him. And what was worse, he was flirting back. All the fantasies he had had trough the evening famished in a thin air torn to pieces.

"Why are you telling me this?" Rikimaru asked smiling for her.

"I wouldn't want to see a nice guy like you go to bad tracks… now would I? I think it was… how should I put it…?"

"Stupid and arrogant?"

She sighted. "…freshing." She leaned back to her chair as they still looked at each other saying more to their eyes than with their words. Tatsumaru wasn't the only one noticing that but her husband also made a note to it and rose from the table. The man that had drank his champagne just a while ago was now dosing at his head on the table. He was beginning to snore.

"Oh well yes, as interesting this is, my darling… I think we should leave…" He said while buttoning his jacket.

She rose up still smiling and Rikimaru and Tatsumaru rose up bowing politely as they left.

Tatsumaru waited that they were on their way before he spoke. "…It's getting late, I should leave too…"

"…Um… You wanna share a taxi?" Rikimaru turned to him and caught him in a weak moment so he said yes.

They stood outside. Waiting for the taxi to arrive. Neither hadn't said anything in a some time. It still was beautiful night.

"What a night…" Rikimaru said.

"Yeah…" He agreed annoyed for some reason. "…Weird night…"

"How come?" He stepped a stepped lower and turned a bit to see his face.

"…Just different, I guess… It's not raining…" That wasn't what he meant but said it anyway. "How could you…"

"I could what?"

"Flirt… with that woman… when his husband was sitting right between you…?"

"…There's no harm a bit of flirt, is there?"

"…No, I guess not…"

"Besides I wanted them gone… I think I'm gona walk home… It's not often you get to enjoy this…"

This surprised Tatsumaru. "…Walk? …But…"

"But what…?" Rikimaru grinned walking back the stairs to him staying only one step lower. "Did I get you jealous?"

For a moment Tatsumaru thought to kiss him and not just wait for him to do it. After Tatsumaru had already made his decision not to Rikimaru suddenly stepped away and slowly walked down the stairs. Tatsumaru was already regretting what he hadn't done.

"You wanna walk?" Rikimaru managed to ask innocently.

River glittered in the moon light as they walked pass it. It was already midnight which surprised both. Time had been flying as they talked.

"…She wasn't that bad, maybe just a bit rough on the edges… I have no luck in my relations…" Tatsumaru sighted finally. It was nice to tell someone who actually seemed to care about these things or him. That's what he really needed; someone who cared. Even thought he wasn't totally honest and left out the worst parts. He looked at the stone ground.

"…Can't argue with that…" Rikimaru shears for his gaze and soon got it. "…People are not all like that, you know that right…?"

Tatsumaru wondered how could it be possible to fall in love in such a short time. He was way too amazing. Too amazing to like him, most likely, he thought and his heart skipped a beat as Rikimaru smiled to him. "Some how I find it hard to believe…"

Tatsumaru lent against him slightly while walking. Rikimaru sure seemed a nice guy and Tatsumaru would have not wanted to miss lead him, but what could he do now to make it right. Would he get angry if he tried to make a first move?

If it just weren't for the stupid dress, Tatsumaru cursed in his mind. Then again it was nice to have some attention other then being mistaken as a slut or deal with men who forcefully groped you all around and were pretty much as gentle between the sheets. Were all the men bastards or was it just something about him that made them act that way, he thought.

Tatsumaru walked to lean a railing and watched how ship trailed by. He shivered, it was middle of the summer but the wind was cold.

"You cold?"

"…Just a little…" He looked to Rikimaru who slowly wrapped him in his hug giving Tatsumaru many possibilities to refuse it. "…I… I have never been here before…" Tatsumaru said just trying to keep his mind busy. He was totally captured by the other man's way to behave. He wasn't sleazy or anything like that. Even the way he'd come close to him, leaning on Tatsumaru's back, was confident and sexy but still so asking and discreet compared. He tried not to think of the lovely sensation the other body was giving to him.

"…Oh?"

"It's a… beautiful place…" Tatsumaru hoped the other couldn't see him blushing as breath tickled his ear and cheek. His heard had started pounding more rabidly.

"I walk past this nearly every day… to my work…"

"What is that?"

"I'll teach martial arts, nothing in particular and bit of everything a bit…"

"…I've taken a class or two… but I'm afraid I'm not very good…"

He was so, warm, he thought to put it in his brain.

"You don't do that anymore?"

"…What?"

"Go practise…?"

"Oh… not since I moved here, haven't got the time…"

His hands felt, nice, on his waist and arms, he thought. The other didn't say anything for answer and so Tatsumaru stopped talking too. He was afraid he was babbling. He really couldn't tell. He should stop this before he ended up with a fist in his face or drowned to the river.

He thought maybe he should say something but then settled to lean his back closer to the source of warmness the move causing shivers not entirely caused by the warm. This was war from friendly walk by the river, he thought, not that he'd wanted it to be one anymore. They sifted slightly. Tatsumaru couldn't let the opportunity famish and by sifting pulled his lower body against his.

Inside his head his mind screamed to stop this but instead he leaned his head to the side to look at him. He looked back and that was all he had to do as Tatsumaru already was kissing him. Not as passionate as he would have wanted, but gently nipping.

Quickly the kiss deepened and by instinctually Tatsumaru rubbed his backside against Rikimaru's crotch who then backed away swallowing hard.

"Babe…I'm not into public places, but if you keep doing that…"

What was he doing, he panicked. First he flirts, drags along and now even made a move on him. How could he take his clothes of in front of him? Tatsumaru smiled because he didn't know what else to do and then kissed him again.

His mind crossed paths seeing no end. He wanted the man like no other before. He seemed safe and nice enough, but Tatsumaru had made so many false judgements before that he didn't trust himself anymore. Besides he was ashamed how he looked. He had to tell him. Just had to.

He was going to say it. "…You… live far…?"

---

"Sorry about the mess…" Rikimaru said tossing his keys on the table. The house of in awful shape; really, why didn't Ayame clean more often?

Tatsumaru eyed the hallway while Rikimaru helped him out of his jacket. He didn't really see the chaos of newspapers, advertisement and shoes; it all happened too much in his head.

"You want something…?"

"No…"

Tatsumaru walked onward to the living room. "Nice apartment…You live alone…"

"My roomie is work at this weekend, undercover or something, she's a cop…"

"My cousin is a cop too…" Why had he said that? "…Never mind about that…"

He found himself in a gentle embrace, Rikimaru kissing his neck. "..You changed your mind?"

"…Why would I?"

He could just suck him off hope that he would settle for that. Besides it wouldn't be a bad deal. Even the picture of him panting in ecstasy while his cock was in his mouth was pure bliss and he wouldn't ever have to know.

"…I dunno… you seem unsure…"

"…I do…?"

Tatsumaru turned around meeting his lips. He didn't notice that Rikimaru's hand was on his cheek and when he noticed it was already too late. Rikimaru felt the powder slipping off his face and mark his fingers. Under it he saw was a purple, bruised skin.

Tatsumaru pulled away quickly and covered his cheek with a hand. "Don't look at me…!" He had turned away and as Rikimaru tried to come closer, he sifted uncomfortably. It was happening again, Tatsumaru thought. Why had he put himself to this situation again? Didn't he ever learn? Was this the life he'd left home for? He was living in a daily misery keeping his appearance intact, but what now as he couldn't take it anymore. He had lost himself in a way to find himself. He felt his eyes wet and thought; oh no.

"…Hey… What's wrong…?"

Tatsumaru forced a weak smile on his lips. "…Me… I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into me… I just don't know why, did I come here… Maybe to get some comfort and feel… wanted. …But… But…"

"It's okay..." Rikimaru had sat on the couch arm. "I'll go and put the kettle on…" He was on the kitchen before Tatsumaru got to stop him. "…you know…! …I haven't actually been quite honest… to you…" He fallowed him to the kitchen.

"About what…?"

"…My name is not really Ayame… It's… Tatsumaru…" Strange Tatsumaru thought, what had suddenly made him trust to this man?

"…What else?"

"…I hate this stupid stress…" He took off his cloves.

"Oh? ….Why?"

"…Maybe I don't… maybe it's just… I don't think I can talk about this…Sorry…"

"…Are you sorry about that bruise too…" Tatsumaru quickly looked at him but felt it very pressing and looked away with out a word. "…If you boyfriend is abusing you, you should leave him…?"

"…Not my boyfriend… ex-friend who I made a move on…" It was embarrassing to talk about this. But some weird way it felt relaxing and so he told him everything. Told him about how he left home and game to town to start a new, honest life, but couldn't find the courage to do that openly. And how his longest one-night relationships failed terribly as there was something terribly wrong about them or he just seemed easy to abuse. He told how he tolerated that because he wanted to.

"…You want them to hurt you?"

"No… I just… don't wanna be alone… not all my life at least. You know… I don't want to be… one who never gets anything…" He sighted and stared at the table for few seconds. "Could I clean up a bit…?"

"The bathroom is on the right…" He pointed the corridor.

"Thanks…"

---

Next morning when Tatsumaru wake up on the couch, he couldn't first remember where he was. It wasn't often that he spend a night somewhere else than in his own flat. Trough to be told he had never felt safe enough to fall a sleep when more or less strangers were close. Then he remembers what had happened. Had he really said all those things to another person? And he had really listened. Let him stay for the night, because it was raining outside or was it pity. It was raining still and the morning was dark even as it was Sunday.

He looked at the dress on the floor. It looked stupid even as it had no shape anymore. It looked like an old mat. It would have been a good joke if it hadn't ended so cynical. For a moment he wondered what was he wearing if the dress was on the floor, but didn't interest to that feeling the loan t-shirt and pyjamas on his skin and remembering the other giving them to him.

Some slight movement got his attention and he found him sleeping on the other sofa. No, he wasn't sleeping; he had his eyes open on him. What might have he been thinking, he couldn't read it in his eyes that looked darker than yesterday. "…Thanks for letting me sleep here…"

"…It's still raining… go to sleep, clock is only six in the morning…" He rose up, yawned and pulled a hand trough his hair so it spiked up.

Rikimaru rose up walking across the room to listen his phone messages. Tatsumaru couldn't help but to make a mental note that he was walking shirtless in pyjamas that nearly tripped down off his waist despite the fact that the waist band wasn't loose. The guy had said he trained martial artists, but still that body structure was a felony to his eyes. He had a perfect smooth skin that suited him… well like a skin.

Rikimaru hang up the phone and came to lean the sofas back supporter from behind the sofa on which Tatsumaru was laying and looked down at him. "…What?" He smiled as Tatsumaru kept looking at him.

"…I… I should leave… You are probably busy…"

"On Sunday? No…"

Tatsumaru idly caressed Rikimaru's hand as it lazily laid on the sofa. "…It accrued to me that… last night, all we talked about was me…you told nothing about your demons…do you even have any…?"

"…Just a one big spook… in a closet…" He stirred his fingers gently as Tatsumaru played with them. "…Now what's really going on in that head of yours…?"

"…You're so amazing… different…and… cute…"

"Tatsumaru… I've just broken up with someone. I don't think I could think about dating in anytime soon…"

"I don't wanna date…What I want is you, share with me little of that warmness you have… "

Tatsumaru rose up to sit and hastily kissed Rikimaru. He was sure his jaw was shaking and hands were too. He could feel how he pushed him back on the sofa. He opened his eyes a bit realizing that he had climbed over the supporter and was now kneeling over him. Tatsumaru catch that dark gloom in Rikimaru's eyes again before he closed his own to be kissed once more.

This strange man took it slow when he would have wanted for once to rush. He would be gentler than the others he had been with. He would care for him as a person and not just a thing to fuck. Maybe later they'd be friends, acquaintances or not even that, but that wouldn't matter much right now.

When Rikimaru took him to his room he took his time to admire him standing on the floor waiting, as he pulled the covers off. For some reason Rikimaru felt small tingle of guilt. What was that, he thought holding him again as the other kissed his neck. He let his hand wonder down Tatsumaru's long black hair as Tatsumaru himself was getting lower on his chest. Rikimaru thought he couldn't think like that, no way he could. Love, sex, hurt and comfort – If someone was watching them from above it sure had sadistic pleasures. Something warm and wet played with his navel. The same sensation licked down until the waist band and he felt hands pulling his pants down.

If Tatsumaru was timid and unsure most of the time, he certainly wasn't that in bedroom. Instead of letting him do whatever he wanted, Rikimaru pulled him up and placed him on the bed following him. "…Just lay back and relax… let me do all the work…" If Rikimaru had wanted to be loved just a few moths ago, he certainly would have remembered how it felt. Without doubt, he knew, he hadn't forgotten just given up ever finding that fulfilment. Why did people want to be loved so badly? They really should find a cure to it.

He pealed his own shirt of Tatsumaru revealing something that made Tatsumaru blush in shame. Some parts of his skin were slightly reddish like burn injuries and above the waistband there were bruises. The purple-black-spots formed finger tips, some of the bruises probably being under the fabric still. How could he let someone do this to him, he thought all most angry for him. He wanted to make him feel better. Not ashamed or badly treated. The man didn't hold himself in value of and that would have to change.

He gently brushed lips over his kissing his way in to his mouth. He'd be considerate and make him feel valued maybe even loved for this soon passing Sunday.


	7. For Roommates only

**Urban theory: Chapter 7**

Rikimaru was sleeping on the sofa as the sun shined irritatingly to his pupils and waked him up. He heard some talk from the kitchen. It wasn't clear what were they saying but the voices were slight and sounded happy.

Oh yes, no he remembered. It was Ayame and Tatsumaru making dinner. They had plans for the night. A month had passed since he'd met that insecure man, Tatsumaru and dragged him out of his fragile closet. They decided to be friends after all. Rikimaru was more than happy about it because he didn't want to meddle someone else's mental problems too deeply or be the one he could rely on like a significant other half. He still had his own brains to figure out. And yet still they were very, very close in one level, sometimes. They were both free to go and do as they pleased.

Waking up felt depressing. He couldn't say why and it irritated him. Maybe he had been a middle of a good dream and woken up too soon. They were all going to bar together Tatsu, Ayame, Jin, Dan and someone Tatsumaru had just met. How much had Tatsumaru changed in one short month, he thought hearing him laugh in the other room. Tatsumaru smiled a lot, which of course wasn't bad because he had the most beautiful and sincere smile. Sometimes it seemed he was high on some drug all the time with his hyper.

For some reason this remembered him about the Sunday morning after the costume party.

Flashback

It was one p.m. and Tatsumaru was kissing the half naked Rikimaru on the hall that led to the kitchen. Not that he was too much clothed himself.

Rikimaru pulled away smiling. "…I'll be right back…" He parted form the embrace and disappeared in to the corridor. Tatsumaru smiled to himself happily and eyes the floor he didn't quite feel walking on as he turned to the kitchen. Sound of a coffee cup placed at the table woke him up from dreaming. There was someone in the kitchen. He looked up saw this someone reading a newspaper holding it up so that nothing more than female fingertips showed there was actually human behind the paper.

And as usual Tatsumaru panicked and thought slowly to back away and go to tell Rikimaru there was a woman in his kitchen. Was she the roommate, sister, mother, friend, boss, wife, lover, he couldn't remember anymore. As he stood there Rikimaru came to the kitchen and pumped into Tatsumaru who was standing in the door way. Little surprised he kept them in balance by folding his hands to Tatsumaru's middle. "…Sorry, what are you standing in the middle of a path for…?" He laughed slightly kissing his cheek.

Tatsumaru couldn't get his eyes of the woman that was looking at them or mostly at Tatsumaru. Rikimaru wondered Tatsumaru's strange behaviour and finally noticed Ayame sitting next to the table looking somewhat amused. "…Hey, you home already?"

"Morning Tatsumaru…"

He was in another mans clothes, in his kitchen at the morning and his hands possessively tied around his waist. This was worse than all of the above together, she was his cousin. "…Ayame"

Rikimaru first looked at Tatsumaru and then Ayame. "You two know each other?"

"We're cousins" Ayame said. "There's still coffee on the kettle and… toasters on the pan…"

Rikimaru walked to Ayame and kissed her on the cheek, before moving to take some cups off a shelf. "I should have noticed…" Even thought Tatsumaru find it very disturbing he slowly moved to sit on the opposite side of the table.

"So how's uncle doing?" She asked.

How could she be so none caring? "…Fine…"

"Cream or sugar?" Rikimaru asked from where he was standing.

"…Both…"

Soon they were all sitting in the breakfast table and Ayame put the paper away. No-one said anything. It was weird. Rikimaru checked the open jobs quickly.

"So…" She started. "…What did you mean by you should have known we are related? We don't look the same, do we?"

"…No, but you both have that birthmark on left inner tight that looks like a…?"

"Rose petal?"

"I was going to say like a turtle, but whatever you say…"

Ayame smacked Rikimaru and both smiled. Tatsumaru took a big sip from the cup.

"…So, you two… are like…" Both looked at Tatsumaru, having fun by tormenting his mental health. As they didn't seem to get it, he finished the sentence. "…together?"

"No…" He said.

"Heaven's no!" She announced like she had just been asked to date a coat or something. Rikimaru picked on her tone. "…Oh but… We used to date."

"Really?"

"It wasn't even month…" She hurried to say.

"…Was that before or after you…?"

Rikimaru chuckled. "…Why do you think I prefer men?"

"…That hurt…!"

"I'm only telling you the truth honey…"

"Sadistic bastard…"

"Takes one to know one…"

"Fuck off sheep-lover…!"

"I will…"

Silence landed on the kitchen again. Tatsumaru could hear himself swallow the toaster down.

In the short period they had known Tatsumaru had learned to comprehend their weird, a bit twisted humour. Still most of the time he was not sure when they were serious and when not.

Suddenly it became suspiciously quiet in the kitchen. Something moved on the couch and he looked up seeing two faces staring at him. He fought to get his eyes open properly.

"…It's dinner time Mr. sleepy head" Ayame said.

"We have or had good chicken legs, but she burned them… totally black… Can you imagine?"

"…I'm afraid I can…" In the middle of his yawn his phone started to ring. He answered it and rose up from the sofa. He had talked about two minutes or so when he hanged up and looked over the two.

…"What?"

"…Got a new job?" Ayame asked.

"Maybe… I won't tell, before I'm sure…"

Tatsumaru looked curious. "Oh? Some lawyer business?"

"Nah…"

"…You remember what that woman said… In that costume party…?"

Rikimaru nodded. "I don't think I'll be ready yet to crawl back… If I'll ever be…Besides it is not as easy as she led to understand…" He sniffled the air and looked down at the two who were still sitting on the floor. "…Do we have dinner or not?"

Half an hour later they wee sitting on the table and eating take out Chinese, chicken with vegetables and rise.

"Isn't it quite sad that none of us can cook?" Ayame said.

"No offence, Ayame but I really do know how to cook…"

"Yeah right…" She said to her cousin. "Why are we eating take out then?"

"…because you didn't listen to me when I said…"

"Okay, Okay… point taken…"

"I cooked all the time when I used to live alone…"

Ayame and Rikimaru both stopped chewing and looked over to Tatsumaru and both said the same thing. "…used to?"

Tatsumaru tried not to smile but couldn't really hide it. "Yeah.. I got a roommate… Nothing like that though, he's kind of my superior in the company and younger and…"

"He's nice?" Ayame asked.

"Nice…yes… little weird though…"

Rikimaru seemed slightly concerned as he twisted the fork over and over again in his noodles. "How weird?"

"Well… sometimes when we talk he's partially doing the talking and then some other time he seems so spaced out that you can't get a word out of him. I heard he…"

Rikimaru lost the interest and fixed his attention to the food again. "Seems natural…"

"Yeah I guess so… Maybe we're not used to share our personal space…"

Ayame looked over to Rikimaru who didn't notice it. She sighted and pushed it out of her list of worries for a change. "…How old is he?"

"…I think he's 20 after next month… or was it nineteen… can't remember…"

"Cute?"

"…No! He's … not! And we couldn't, I'm evaluating his work, it would be so wrong… And he's not gay!"

Rikimaru looked up to his plate with a devilish smirk. "You so sure? Tell me, were you in boxers when he had trouble talking to you…huh?"

Tatsumaru thought it for a moment. "…You people… Don't you ever think about anything else? Some of us can live together with out getting to your level."

Ayame played with a piece of chicken at her fork. "Poor-Tatsu… Living in a need again…Maybe 'someone' should do something about it and not mope all the time in home…?"

Living in a need, her cousin thought socked mostly by the fact that he actually wasn't this time or in a some time hadn't. Was he starting to be a sex addict? Did he really want to even know the answer?

"I'm not moping and stop selling me, thank you…"

"See…" She said. "Totally impossible case… Besides, I can sell you whatever I want, your ass is mine and living isn't free, you know…And… when's the last time you shopped anyway?"

Isn't it practically the same thing to sleep around even thought he enjoyed it more than back then, Tatsumaru wondered off. No, it couldn't be. Besides this was his time to find something he had never hoped or thought to exist in his young ages. He was studying when other of his age went on dates and parties. He just couldn't find him self interested of a girl more than a friend.

Rikimaru looked to the ceiling: "Ma… I should have never left home. The world is an evil, gruel place with her in it. She's made your beautiful little boy an object to abuse and sell…"

Tatsumaru wondered how Rikimaru's family thought about him being gay. Had he told them? Or were they all dead considering Rikimaru's temper. He sure kept his cool but what then when he'd reach the line.

"And this is the thanks I get… Really, I should hang out with real men more often…"

Tatsumaru felt a nasty ring in her words; real men. Weren't they real even thought they had a bit different interests?

"…I can sure warm your bed even thought I'm not 'a real man' … Don't shut me out, Ayame darling…?"

"Stop calling me that, you piece of meat...! Eat up, so I can abuse you longer until you pass out."

"Yes, mistress…" He sighted sounding unhappy.

Tatsumaru had dated a girl once, it ended ugly. She was more of a friend than anything else, but unfortunately the girl didn't seem to think so and eventually when they broke up, they hated each other. He looked Ayame and Rikimaru, both trying not to grin or laugh to their stupid jokes that saw no end. You could have thought they were a couple. They sure acted like one, but Tatsumaru knew they couldn't be. Rikimaru was gay and she… well was a she. Could they be a couple?

Rikimaru looked at his clock. "I have to get going soon… the practice starts at six." He went to put the plate away and then went to get his gear. He came back to the doorway that head to the kitchen and trop the heavy bag on the floor. It gave a thud.

The cousins in the kitchen looked over to Rikimaru who was facing the hallway and didn't look at them.

"…Something lost…?" Ayame asked stuffing the rise in her mouth.

He still didn't look. "…You ever got the feeling that nothing ever happens in your live and you are just walking around in endless circles... with out… anything to… get to… to reach for…" It had started as a question but ended in weird self bitty.

"…Um…? No? Not really…" Tatsumaru watched at him in confusion and Ayame just stared suddenly serious.

Tatsumaru's words woke him up and he gave them a half hearted smile before walking to the hallway to put his shoes on. "…Guess I'll be going to keep the class then…"

Ayame and Tatsumaru sat for a while in silence, listening him putting his shoes on. Ayame felt sad for him. Then Tatsumaru sprung off his chair and went after him.

"Can I walk with you…?"

"Sure…"

She heard them and wondered. Smiled a little for the thought if Tatsu would make him carry out her suggestion? She thought better not to shout it after them and Rikimaru's words kept her thinking.

In the hall Tatsumaru was still putting his jacket when they were going down the stairs. "Rikimaru, can I ask you something…?"

"Sure…"

"Then stop… I can't talk when you're walking…"

They stopped. "…What?"

Tatsumaru wasn't quite sure how to form the question. "…What's the deal between you and her?"

"Deal?"

"…The truth…"

"…Why do you wanna know…?" It surprised Rikimaru that he had actually cared about their little jokes. Somehow he got a feeling Tatsumaru had found his inner big brother, cousin thing that wanted to protect her. Why Rikimaru did know this? Because he was acting the same when it came to men and Ayame, no-one was good enough for her. Like the cop really needed to be protected, sure, she was picky enough.

Why did he really want to know, Tatsumaru thought it over? "Why do I wanna know?"

Maybe Rikimaru was a bit over protective. It could have been a reason why she couldn't make her relationships last or in other point of fief no-one, no-one was good enough for her.

"Because… if… there is something between you… I'd like to ask for… advice…?"

This was true, Rikimaru thought, no men could ever bee enough. They were too selfish and self-centred bastards. Even Tatsumaru had that side Rikimaru had only thought to find in certain women. Tatsu, being a bastard; that was saying a lot.

"…advise?"

"Yeah… Like… when he sleeps with her…" Tatsumaru first pointed Rikimaru and then the upstairs. "And then he or she brings another he to the picture… Isn't it quite awkward? I mean… What if the other one gets jealous of the another him or I mean that he gets jealous over she as she has he or other way around… What about if the other falls madly in love and never tells it to the other one but suffers the rest of his or hers life and the other don't notice at all? Doesn't that make this… he a terrible abuser? Isn't it terrible to think that… Could they living together get unpleasant and broke them up as friends if they'd keep on sleeping together… once in a while… not planned or anything, but, of course that can't work, because, if they are not in love or stuff and committed, right? Isn't awful to see you one night slip every morning? I mean, breakfast, dinner, lunch, noon and afternoon tea not to talk about very late afternoon tea and all the snack bites in between... Not bites like that… Could they ruin each others lives if they get burned, sure like if the other one is very innocent , –inexperienced- and just -experimenting- stuff and… and the other one just… totally naively, provoking him so he, they can't really stop…" He had to stop before he lost his eyes sight for the lack of oxygen.

"…I'm not sleeping with my roommate…" Rikimaru stated shortly and walked down the stairs. "…But someone sure is… Is he any good?"

"…He's twenty…! And stop that walking…"

"Twenty? Pretty good then… What's you frigging big problem here Tatsu?" Rikimaru stopped because he couldn't get anything out of the other as he drawled behind him like a helpless child.

"Well, It's wrong…?"

"…Is he forcing you…?"

"No, for…! No."

"…You were forcing him?"

"God, Rikimaru? What's gotten into you! No." Tatsumaru was hurt for his latest suggestion, but had too much to think of to notice that Rikimaru wasn't having the greatest day of his live. "Were not together, but when ever either one feels lonely… it just happens… Like last night…"

"…Last night…?"

"I was completely happy by myself, sleeping in my bed and then suddenly, there he is asking me if it's okay for him to come sleep next to me… or something…" He blushed a little and looked away annoyed.

"…Is he ugly?"

"No…?"

"Has some short of an disease…?"

"..No?"

"You don't really like him?"

"…Um… No?"

Rikimaru bite his lip so he wouldn't explode on the stairs. "…You don't like… What? What does it matter? For what I think, you are so fucking lucky if someone wants to cuddle with you all day long and still stands the sight of you every day…!"

Rikimaru wasn't quite shouting his lungs out but now Tatsumaru could pick up the stressed tone of his voice. "…O-kay… Did I say something to upset you…?"

"No… Pms. Sorry. I. have. to. run. now. or. I'll be late… See. you…"

He rushed out of the door hoping Tatsumaru wouldn't follow him and ask what the hell was the matter with him, cup him in his hug and tell him that someone loved him. After thinking it over Rikimaru thought to take a taxi for prevent that happening. He wasn't him. He couldn't ever be, they were like the night and day. No-one could be him, probably not even the one spoken of.

He thought to walk; no-one would run after him. It wasn't even long way to the yum. Unexpectedly a forgotten memory pulped back to surface.

Flashback

"I'm gona go now. I still have to do the paper for at least a dozen gases… Oh God…"

It was Saturday. It was cold outside but inside the fireplace and a lover was keeping the place warm and cosy. Rikimaru rose up from the sofa and the other sat down to where he'd left as if to steal the place. He'd stopped painting suddenly and was now looking for something at his pocket.

"What?" Onikage asked for his sight of unhappiness. He didn't hear them very often and this one was out of place. He wasn't even teasing his little toy at the moment.

"I just realized how used I am…"

How convenient for the occasion, he thought folding something in his closed fist. "You are good to use, ever thought it might be that…"

"I was talking about my work, you pervert…" He hissed in voice of abused, but smirked at him from the hallway.

Onikage looked at him half smiling half serious. You never knew about him or at least Rikimaru didn't.

"…Who says I wasn't…eh?" He made it sound like a threat: "…Come here…"

"…Why?"

"Because… I say so…"

"That's not very nice… You really should learn some manners or…"

"For God's sake! …Why everything has to be a game to you…!" He was nervous about this to begin with. Why did he have to make it even harder? That got Rikimaru only smiling wider and for what surprised Onikage, he was smiling back at him just as devilish or maybe more, he hoped. "…I got something for you…"

"…Don't you all ways?"

"It's in here…" He showed at his hand. "Do you wanted it or not?"

This got Rikimaru's attention and he slowly came closer. "…It depends…"

"If you don't want it…"

When Rikimaru tried to grab his fist Onikage moved it away continuing to do that. Eventually Rikimaru was sitting on his lap trying to get a hold of this mystery item by leaning over the other.

"…I can all ways give it to someone else…"

"Oh, screw you Oni…" He said and distracted him with a passionate kiss on the lips. It worked and Rikimaru pulled away as his fingers reached the item he'd been after. Little stunned he looked at the key in his hand. The other studying his expression as he did so.

"…You giving me your key?"

"No, that's the key to my mother's house so you can do the shopping for her… What did you think, dump arse…?" He laughed if not a bit nervous and covered his face with a one hand temporarily.

"…But… You never give your keys to anyone… remember…?"

"Well… maybe you are special case… and this way it is much easier to abuse you when you can come in your self and I don't have to drag you.. Or get out of bed to do so…"

Rikimaru didn't want to think it further or even to remember as he walked in the building he was holding the class in. He quickly changes his clothes wondering who had his key now and went to the hall that they kept classes shaking off the thought. There weren't many at today's class as it involved mostly revision exercises. Little over ten chattered around the area with padded floor and he turned to talk to them.

"Okay… Good day to you and… today… we'll…" He kept on talking not looking anyone in particular. He usually was more considerate to his pupils and nodded to few of them which he could get an eye contact with, but not today. Today he couldn't care shit about them. Strangers and half-acquaintances, the same that filled his world everyday.

They started the class that would fill the next one and half an hour. He did the moves and they repeated them almost in unison behind him.

This was almost like a dance yet maybe deadlier even as it didn't conclude any alcohol. He concentrated to his hand movements fallowed by the rest of his body. Again it felt like simplicity looking for the lost perfection, harmony of a mind and body. His mind sighted in relieve as it was set to rest.

Rikimaru closed his eyes for a moment but shot them open at the instant he heard something breaking down. It was the door. Everybody stopped as time seemed to stand still.

Before they noticed the room was full of men dressed in black and all of their vests read SWAT. They pointed their guns at the people in the room and told them to get lay on their backs, their hands resting over their head.

Four men surrounded Rikimaru and told him the same. He obeyed having no idea what was going on. There seemed to be only ordinary people in the group , no-one even mildly psychotic or suspicious, except Rikimaru himself, he thought laying on his stomach as one of the Swat members took his hands and handcuffed him. _What a hell…! _

"You got the wrong guy now…!" It didn't help. All they did was handle him with more force, like he'd just tried to escape. The Swat members said nothing, they never did. So it was pointless to ask what he'd done. His mind raced trough many things among the ages of his conquests. _…No, no way, couldn't be that young…! Could he_?

They tore him from the floor and started to escort him out. He could only imagine how it must have looked in the eyes of his pupils that were left to lay on the floor, stunned like wild animals suddenly forced to stay still in a small gage. "…What have I done… Can't you at least tell me that…?" He tried when they pushed him in a black van.

Before he could even get a good look over his captures they covered Rikimaru's head with some sort of a fabric bag. No-one said anything or did anything after that. The car was moving, had been on the road for some time now. In these moments Rikimaru felt great need for a lawyer. Not to help in legal matters, he could do that him self, but in need of an eye witness for what was about to happen to him.

After a short ride the car stop braking hard. Was it a red light or were they in destination already? Two men grabbed his arms and took him out of the car. He couldn't see a damn thing.

"Stairs…" Someone very masculine said.

He heard a key turn in a lock and he was pushed in a room. He was probably facing the door as one of the men took of his handcuffs. The door slammed shut and steps echoed in the stair way in an awfully familiar way.

He took off the bag and looked at the brown apartment building door whit a light blue frame surrounded by hundreds of shoes, socks, tennis patches, news papers and adds. _Oh for god's sake… She couldn't…_

He turned thinking no further and flash blinded him. _Yep, she did…_

"…Don't say… you just ordered a Swat team to pick me home, didn't you? You have such a loose brain…"

Ayame smiled happily, waving a Polaroid in her hand. "…It was just a payback, ho…"

"…For what?"

"For what? …yeah sure… think about it…"

"…I'm not in a mood… I… happened to like my stay at the practise, until your buddies gave heart attack to half of the people there! How can I explain that, no, no… the whole little swat team that kicked down the door was a seat up and actually quite good, in a twisted way, of a joke..."

"So you liked it…?"

"Not a one bit…"

She looked at the picture in her hand and laughed. "This is definitely going to the album…"

"…Let me see that…!" He reached over, but she pulled it away and made her way to the couch.

"So you remember?"

He looked at her puzzled after taking of his shoes and trop down on the armchair. She lay down as there for once was room to do so. "…Ho!"

Rikimaru thought it over. "…You mean my visit in your office?" He smirked evilly. It had been a hot summer day and he himself wanted to go to the beach, but what fun would it have been with out her. She was in work of course so the only thing he needed to do was to get her out from the office. Easier to said than done, or not if you had a poker face and a wicked imagination. Just how much can few trashy clothes, bare skin and carefully picked lines do in a middle of a room full of police men? You wouldn't believe that she can actually blush, but yes she can.

Ayame mimicked her friend talking in a too high voice. "Uuu… Officer…? Did you want me on your desk or in the seven o'clock buss…? Or was it the patrol car, I can not remember after so many clients…"

Rikimaru laughed. "…I didn't sound like that, did I?"

"…I still here comments about it… maybe you should ask my colleagues?"

Ayame looked at the picture of Rikimaru. She had put it on the table but he hadn't noticed it. She could see a little discomfort in his face. Ayame looked at him and after a while could see it again. He was concentrating something behind his eyes. "…Did I go too far?" She asked in a tone that was unusually serious to her.

He really didn't think he needed to answer her question- He wasn't mad at her.

"…What did you tell them, to come and get me?"

"…Oh what did I say…? …That I need to get a friend home… Don't worry, I know them all, veer guys."

"You know it looked like a fetish thing going on between us?"

"…In a way?" She looked shocked that he could even mention a thing like that.

"Well, you know, the whole picture… cop, handcuffs, control, rested, helpless, submission…"

"I have never gotten the point of that…"

"…No… really? Should I…?"

"No…!"

"…You look awfully comfortable and nice lying on there and since I'm here and we have no better thoghs to do…?"

"Oh no… I can see where this is heading…Stop it…!"

"Why? Okay, I got it, sorry, shouldn't play with the fire… mother never told me that…"

"How's you mother got to do with any of this?"

"…I wish I knew… Funny thing happened today, after Tatsu and I left…"

"Really?"

"…I think I lied to him… I said I'm not sleeping with my roommate…"

"So…? You are not…" They shared a look. "…We haven't since… you moved in… right?"

"Um-huh…" Rikimaru nodded.

"Wait… Why did you –lied-? Should I get offended?"

"Maybe I was afraid of his big brother complex or something… I dunno…you?"

"How could I know what goes on in that head of yours, especially when your not telling me anything…"

"How could I? We practically never see each other when you are either in work or in sleep… And I'm in a bar or cleaning the cutter…"

"…You are still thinking about him… you think I haven't noticed?"

"I try not to." He gave a weak smile. "But honestly… I can feel better times are coming… I don't miss him that much anymore. Maybe just someone… someone… who's mine… Completely. …Am I greedy?"

"Maybe we both are and that's why we are lone… and will be lone forever…"

"Wait ten years and we'll be sitting here just the same…"

"Aren't we sad… You remember…?"

"…Remember what?"

"The promise we made when we were… what? eight or something?"

"…That I would all ways borrow you my Batman doll?"

She laughed. "No, idiot…! …That sounded bad… The other one? …If we are alone…?"

"…when we're 35 we have sex?"

"Yes, dear, but we changed the end later…"

He thought it for a moment. "…I thought I don't suit you anymore…?"

"Yeah… might be so, but what can I say… I'm a one desperate girl…"

"So it still holds? You know I couldn't live in a marriage with out sex, right?"

"I could…"

Rikimaru couldn't help but to remember what Tatsumaru had told him and how it made him feel. She had closed her eyes and probably tried to sleep and dream. She would find her special someone finally, he thought. Everyone would except him self. "…You gonna sleep… After you forced me to come here? Can't the big bad ass cop sleep whit out someone watching over?" She didn't answer.

"…I saw that…!" He said seeing her little smile, but she just kept on pretending to be sleep. "…Fine…" He walked away.

It was a learned routine to walk straight to his room, he stopped in the middle of it. It was different. The floor was clean and table also. He could actually tell he had a carpet. Someone had cleaned his room, Ayame? No way. Speaking of the devil she drawled in the room yawning. "..Where did you leave, you were suppose to keep me awake until we leave to a bar…?"

"Did you clean this?"

"…yeah, well, I was bored… and I thought it might cheer you up a bit. Does the trick for me at least, I didn't even remember how did my room look. You like it or should I mess it up again?"

"Ayame, you really didn't have to, you should just told me to clean it and I would…"

"So you want me to mess it up?" She said with a crazy clint in her eyes.

"…no. Thanks…"

"…You welcome…" She went back to the living room.

Rikimaru stayed and looked around in this strange place he didn't recognise to his own. He sat on the edge of the bed and buried his face in to his hands and finally focused to the floor. _I didn't remember the mat was in that colour…? Oh well, guess it was…_

When all the paper boxes and books were orderly placed at the lines of the room it felt empty and too spacy. Too much room to move, too much room to think.

"We should get a move on… They are going to pick us up in fifteen minutes…!"Ayame yelled from her room. He had completely forgotten their plans for the time being.

"…What's wrong?" She asked as Rikimaru came to her door leaning at frame and crossing his hands above his chest. She was looking into her closet of clothes.

He just shook his head saying nothing and made a face for her constant worrying about his well being. He couldn't think any other way to thank her than give her a huge bear hug.

"Wow… I should clean more often…?" She laughed against his chest and leaned on him. He was so quiet and sighted tiredly on her shoulder. When had she last time felt so close to someone, she couldn't remember.

She was relaxing, nice and dear, he thought and didn't want to leg go. She was tiny in the middle and still in his arms, not going anywhere or anyone else. It felt nice to have someone to hold. Her breath was steady but weak as a birds. He could feel her other hand rubbing his back comforting while he pleased her head.

It felt right to hold one another like that whit out any other intentions in mind. World seemed to stop or at least slow down for a moment as they shared their feelings not by words but in acts of appreciation. For a second the world seemed tolerable place to live in.

The hug was getting long even in a slow motion. They had to move so that they wouldn't fossilise or have to leg go. He grabbed her thick messy hair in his hand and pushed his fingers closed. He didn't know what was the purpose of that, maybe just to keep moving. She was moving too and he copied her hand movements finding her lovely waist.

She had the most perfectly shaped waist he had ever felt. It was curve all the way no matter in which way were you going. Her navel shirts used to kill him when ever she'd wear one. It was unbelievable thing about her. Like if you'd first go up to meet the ribcage, pulled her body closer and then went down to the narrowest part, automatically the curve on her back came very strong. And down from there… What as he doing, Rikimaru suddenly asked himself or more importantly what were they doing?

She had her hand behind his neck and other one between their tightly pressed bodies as if to push him further away. He saw her parted lips and it was so easy to give in to it.

"Ummh…!" Surprised for the passion, a hush blurted out from her lips. She had long nails that dug in to his shoulder as he cupped her up.

She wrapped her long legs around his waist. He pushed her against the closet door after slamming it shut. A voice of a doorbell rang angrily in the apartment making them stop to their where abouts.

She hold his collar with both hands and looked down on him who looked back. The doorbell rang again and it was louder if it was possible.

Some strange clanking and people talking. Someone laughed. It was Jin. "…Shut up, you guys…! …Hellou!" Dan was yelling trough the letterbox. "…Anyone home!" It was quiet for a second.

"…What if they have gone ahead?" It was Jin speaking. The letterbox clanked shut.

Neither hadn't dared to breathe properly, they just stared at each other.

"…I didn't know the noises go that well trough the walls…?" He whispered.

"…They are still at the hall…" They could hear them taking, but couldn't tell what they were saying. "…Think they heard us?"

They both looked at the hallway but couldn't really see nothing much but the living room.

"…You wanna go after them…" He smirked speaking very quietly. "…Later…?"


	8. Oni

Urban theory; Chapter 8 

He woke up feeling a hand over his chest and someone sleeping her head against his shoulder. The clock was almost ten a.m. It was her bed they were sleeping in.

Her hair curled funny over the slight blue pillow and he just had to touch it. She had beautiful, long, black and thick hair like her cousin had. Maybe he had a thing for the dark hair, he thought. She moved and mumbled in her sleep, until she rose her head up.

"…ups…" She said smiling a bit.

"…Yeah… ups…"

Mobile phone rang somewhere on the floor where their clothes were in a one big bundle. She craned to the floor to find it and pulled her self back to bed. "…Hellou…?" She said forming an O at her mouth. Rikimaru could hear the one on the other end. It was Jin calling.

"Oh, you are alive…! Where the hell are you? You know it was so close we didn't file a missing person note of you… Is he with you or should we get worried all over again cause you're answering his phone…? Ayame…? Are you there…?"

She had given he phone to Rikimaru.

"…I'm fine, Jin. Let us get some sleep, will you, I'll call you later, okay…" He closed the phone and trop it on the pile of clothes on the floor.

"…Weren't that just a bit rude, we were suppose to meet them…?" She said while she was pulled back to his arms.

"Nah, Jin has made me wait for nothing for so many times, this is only fair."

"And Dan and Tatsu?"

"…I'll think of something to explain…"

"I was afraid you'd think of something…Shouldn't we get up? "

He was completely happy having her by his side. "Why…?"

"…Because…We might -slip- again…"

"And would that be such a bad thing?"

She laughed desperately. "…No… If we make a promise never to -slip- again?"

"…Fingers crossed…?"

---

They were cleaning up their two o'clock breakfast as the doorbell rang. She was eating an apple and eyeing the newspaper as he washed the dishes. Both freeze like the last time and he asked. "…Who is it?"

They went quietly to the door and she peaked trough the door eye. "It's Kiku…!" She whispered in panic. "I completely forgot that she was suppose to come over today… What are we going to do?"

The door bell rang again and it hurt to their ears as they were standing right next to it. Both winced and Kiku rose and eye brow.

"…Just a second…!" She yelled as they tried to make signs whit their hands.

"…You, go in the shower… I stay here…" She practically pushed him there and waited for some time, hearing the water running already. She opened the door wearing Rikimaru's shirt. "…Hi!"

Kiku sensed something strange in the air, but didn't let it bother her as she wasn't sure what it was. "…What took you so long?" She asked stepping inside. Ayame turned away and thought something to say that would have sounded less suspicious.

"…You walked all the way? Wasn't your dad suppose to pick you up from the class? Did it went well?"

"…He brought me, but as usual was too busy to come and meet you… I think he's afraid of Rikimaru now…"

"Afraid? Why on earth?" She laughed.

"Well, no reason, he's just my dad and the way he is… Is Rikimaru home?"

"…Hmm yes, he's in the shower, I think… come to the kitchen, you want cocoa?"

"Thanks… Isn't that his shirt you are wearing…?"

Kiku sat over the table while she stared boiling water.

"Yeah… He borrowed it to me… all my clothes are dirty…"

"…Go figure…" Kiku said quietly reading the text on the shirts back, she was obviously wearing it the wrong way. "Viagra-exciting men" Kiku could just see Rikimaru laughing his ass out to it.

"Huh?" Ayame looked over Kiku.

"…Nothing, so what have you been doing, I haven't seen you since ever…"

"Oh you know… Work, work, work… You didn't say how the class went?"

"Great, we have this new teacher from Italy…So absolutely the greatest dancer on earth…!"

"…Ou, he's teaching you new dances…"

"Well not really, but he's just better dancer, smooth… and stuff… Hi Rikimaru…"

"Hi Kiku…" He said towelling his hair and went to continue on the dishes. Kiku looked at him puzzled.

"…So… You went to the shower in the middle of the dishes…? God you two are weird…"

They looked at each other smiling bit by bit. Ayame started putting the cups on the table. "Yep… Aren't we…?"

---

Clock was 7 p.m. on the day and Rikimaru sat alone in a bar desk. He looked at his drink and played with the cherry on it. Strange, he thought, how things didn't seem so complicated and dark anymore. Maybe things were really starting to brighten up for him. What had been so magical about last night, about in her? Maybe he realised he wasn't alone in the world and neither was she: They would all ways have each other at least. Thought it was shame they couldn't make it work in a long term.

What was in that anyway? They were best friends, who knew each other better than anyone else, they had fun between the sheets occasionally, but it wasn't enough. They tried it once and nearly started to hate each other. He looked at the clock on his wrist and wondered what was keeping Jin and the rest.

Actually they had dated twice in a proper way. First in high school but they soon noticed that both had a huge crush to the football team leader, who in his highness ignored both geek freaks. Second time was when they were a bit older and living together. Both knew from the start that it would never work but after the painful two weeks no-one couldn't make them question their only-friend-basis relationship.

A hand grabbed his shoulder as Dan sat next to him. "Hi, stranger…"

"Hi, where is the rest?"

"Ah, you know Jin and his dress up crises, Tatsu stayed there to help him… poor-guy…"

"…You left them alone… wait, I mean, you left Tatsu alone with Jin? …You know he's just trying to get…"

"In his pants, yes…?" Dan waved his hands up helplessly. "…But who cares a shit, I don't. …Now where were you and Ayame last night? We came to pick you up and no-one answered…"

He sighted and looked to his drink. He had promised her to take care of it.

"…I know… I heard you…"

"What? …Why didn't you open the door?"

"…Couldn't… She had me… on the floor by then.. And what can a man do when she has made her mind… Dan, she raped me…"

Dan looked plank. "…Honestly now… What were you two doing…?"

"Is it so hard to believe… Oh, just what she told me… no use to make a report no-one wouldn't believe anyway and she's is a cop for crying out loud…!"

The bar tender looked at them strangely but only Dan noticed it. "…Come on now, were you two robbing the bank or something…Seriously??"

"…No. I just told you… We had sex…"

Dan didn't know what to believe. Honestly why had Rikimaru seen the trouble to educate himself as a lawyer when he could have gone to the Hollywood.

"…Since when have you been straight…Rikimaru?"

"Since never… I just swing…" It sounded so stupid he had to smile.

"Really? I haven't noticed, but hey… welcome to the club."

"…What? You too?"

"Only Jin knows… I don't know why is it so hard to be BI, usually my boyfriends have looked at me squint after I told them… But you and Ayame? Are you…"

"Together, no…" He saw Tatsumaru and Jin walk in. "Dan… If you wouldn't mention this to Tatsu, I think I have miss led him a bit and I need to tell him this myself or he'll never trust me again…?"

"Sure…"

Jin looked a bit sour in where Tatsumaru looked uncomfortably troubled. Jin wore his usual strange combination of stripes in different colours. Tatsumaru instead trusted in dark colours, jeans, T-shirt and a leather jacket. He looked careless, stylish, mysterious and damn good looking with his long black eyelashes and a little bit of black make-up on lower eyelids.

They both seemed to want as far away from each other as possible. Jin walked next to Dan Tatsumaru following.

"Look…! He's alive, he's alive!" Jin shouted around the bar. "You got some explaining to do… Bartender…! He shouted out climbing over the desk. While Jin was busy with that Rikimaru asked Tatsumaru if they could talk.

Jin had got his drink and leaned on the desk next to Dan who was sitting. He saw the two talking after they were in a safe distance. "…Oh man…!" Dan looked Surprised at Jin. "…Don't tell me they are together now… I'm just a jerk…"

"Didn't went well with him…? Didn't fall for your little act, huh?"

"Oh… Shut up, Dan…! …Did he give an excuse?"

Tatsumaru seemed strange today. Like he was in half sleep, Rikimaru had noticed but didn't regard it too peculiar to be him.

"Sorry about that I snapped at you yesterday… You mad at me?"

"…No…" He tilted his head lazily. "…Is something bothering you… Why didn't you come with us last night…?"

Rikimaru looked at the wall behind Tatsumaru's shoulder. This wouldn't be so easy to explain. Maybe it would have been better if Ayame could have done it, but she was with Kiku for the evening.

"…I… Lied to you." He blurted out. Tatsumaru didn't seem surprised even thought he was more awake now.

"…or technically I wasn't… because we hadn't… as roommates… befor…-as this year…" He stopped before he could make it sound any force.

"…So, you are sleeping with my cousin too? Is that what you are trying to tell me, Rikimaru?"

The other tried to get a word in between but Tatsumaru interrupted him.

"Don't bother…! I don't wanna hear anything about it…" He turned around and started walking.

"…Tatsu?! …Come on, don't be like that…?" He took a few steps but Tatsumaru turned quickly.

"Don't you tell me how to feel…! And don't fallow me, I go home to sleep…so you don't have to worry…!"

And he left. Dan and Jin walked past Rikimaru who stood in the middle of the floor if not a bit stunned.

"…Real smooth, my boy…" Dan said and sat down to a table. Jin joined him. "What a charmer…and I thought he didn't like –me-…" he laughed away.

"I should go after him…" Rikimaru said staring at the door. Dan grabbed his hand and pulled him down to a chair.

"No you should not. …If he's gona act like a immature teenager…Let him. He'll come around…" Dan said.

"Immature teenager? …You know they are cousins…? Tatsu n' Aya…" Rikimaru blurted out another thing.

Dan seemed to have lost for words as Jin seemed interested.

"Really? They are…? Wow… Hey I got it. Maybe your are not BI, Rikimaru… You just got confused which one was which…"

"Not funny Jin…" Rikimaru still looked at the doorway.

---

Hours slipped by quickly as the night became darker and more people came to spend their night in this club. Tatsumaru was forgotten after two happy hours mindless dancing.

It was more of a club than bar and the room was divided in two different spaces. The one by the door where they had been earlier was meant mostly for undisturbed conversations in small table parties. The ceiling was low and less techno was played on this side. There was a clear opening to the other side which reassembled more of an aeroplane storage hall judging by its size. There were two floors, three bars, huge dance floor in the middle and few tables here and there. It was like a stage to the other side of the club.

The three friends were dancing and unfortunately also singing. Take on me had been playing for some time now and the song brought up some memories.

_Take on me, take on me_

_take me home_

_I'll be gone, _

_in a day or two _

That's how the song really went but not the boys. They sang:

_Take on me, take on me_

_take me home_

_I'll be good_

Tutu I won't do… 

Luckily no-one else heard them the music was too loud for that, but all three laughed for the others too. The beat changes as another song started to play. Another one of the classics Rikimaru would have sighted if not he hadn't been so happy and drunk like a bear in circus.

Insomnia   
He changed his mind about the song being old and worn out as he got hold of the steady beat. Faithless just knew how to make damn good piece to dance.   
Insomnia   
The place was as full as it could be. If you were dancing in the middle of the floor you barely had room to move. So the three danced in the edges of the floor. Rikimaru let his look slip over the place. Colours filled the darkness and some of the people. Funny how the place looked so different in a different kind of a lighting. What was he looking he asked himself and remembered Tatsumaru. Some part of him wished to find him in the crowd, coming back, forgetting the stupid quarrel they had. His eyes finally found something familiar, but not what was he looking for. It was him. When he realised that it really was him, his mind sprung somewhere over the roof and screamed smacking back to the floor, crushing his brain. What was he doing here, he thought and looked away, but it seemed to be too late as he was looking right back at them, drinking his bear smugly. His heart squeezed a part inside his chest and blow up on the walls of his ribcage. He looked again but couldn't see him. A doubt came to his mind: Had it even been him, he thought bit panicking. This certainly wasn't a place where he'd enjoy his stay. 

_I only smoke weed when I need to,  
And I need to get some rest,  
I confess, I burnt a hole in the mattress,  
Yes, yes, it was me, I plead guilty,  
And on the count of three I pull back the duvet,  
Make my way to the refrigerator,  
One dry potato inside, no lie  
Not even bread, jam,  
When the light above my head went bam!  
I can't sleep, something's all over me,  
Greasy, insomnia please release me,  
And let me dream about making mad love on the heath,  
Tearing off tights with my teeth.  
But there's no relief,  
I'm wide awake in my kitchen,  
It's dark and I'm lonely,  
Oh, if I could only get some sleep,  
Creaky noises make my skin creep,  
I need to get some sleep,  
I can't get no sleep..._

He looked madly around himself, looking to the people in the big hall, trying to see to the small side and finally looked at the second floor, doing all this while he kept the rhythm the best he could. He could swear his legs had gone to jam the second he'd seen those eyes stare at him. No, he screamed inside his head, he can not have that effect on me anymore, not like that, not anymore.

Insomnia 

He hated what this did to him. _Insomni__a_ Why now when he finally had some light in his life? _Insomnia_ Dan grabbed his shoulder and leaned closer to say something. _Insomnia_

"…Can you see Jin anywhere…!?"

_Insomnia_

Quickly Rikimaru looked around them not really looking for his friend all thought he noticed he couldn't find even him. He shook his head and looked over to the small side where he thought he had seen Oni before. Dan pulled Rikimaru from the floor and they walked pass the crowd. "...Come on…Let's go and find him!"

Another song started to play eventually and it sounded much more peaceful than Rikimaru felt right then. They finally found Jin ordering a drink on the bar desk. "..Jin…! Where the hell did you disappear…?!" Dan asked of him.

"…I thought I saw Tatsu…!"

Jin got Rikimaru's attention. "…Really?! Where?"

"Oh… It wasn't probably him or I lost him…! Damn here's awful lot of people here tonight…?!"

Dan kept on talking to Jin about something, Rikimaru didn't even bother to pretend to be listening. Had Tatsumaru been here and was he still here, he thought. What if he'd confused him to be Oni? How much had he already drank, too much? Or was he loosing his mind? It was totally possible to confuse the two, right? Get a hold of your self, Rikimaru lectured inside his head.

"…Does any one else feel like… tequila?"

After a few shots they dissuaded to head back to the dance floor. Dan was going in over circuits and first to reach the dance floor. He was usually the most responsible of the three or four if Ayame was with them. Rikimaru followed by Jin closed on him laughing until…

"Rikimaru…?"

He nearly froze and looked up for the familiar voice that had wiped the smile of his lips. And there he was again, Oni. For what Rikimaru could tell in his very drunken stage, Oni hadn't changed a bit. He still was that seemingly unreal, kind a hell of a gorgeous man, who nearly could have made his ice melt if he had not right then remembered all the nights he'd made him cry for him. Seeing his face brought only pain now. Jin walked past them to catch up with Dan. "Excuse me…ee" He stumbled past.

"…Fuck off Oni…" Rikimaru said and turned to walk away, but Oni grabbed his arm trying to start a sentence. Rikimaru might have been drunk but he pulled his arm free quickly.

"Don't fucking touch me! …My God, I could just…!"

"…Sorry." He bite his lip as if not to say more. "…I -am- sorry…"

"See if I care, fuckface…!" He spread his arms as if to shout it out to whole word. "Walk away!" And he staggered a bit.

"…Don't you think you had enough for the one evening?"

He laughed drunken clint in his eyes. "…What's me, asshole…!"

Rikimaru got back to the dance floor and found his friends. Jin asked: "Who was that handsome devil?!"

"Fucking self centred, know it all, prick, who thinks he can have whatever he wants…!!"

"…okay…?"

"…is he still there?"

"…No, I can't see him… No… he's there, looks at us… Can I wave at him, he's cute…?"

"No…! I just told you he's…!"

"The biggest prick on earth? Yeah, why do you think he looks so hot…!

"Jin!?"

"Fine…!"

Dan game to them smiling wildly and shouting something that made even Rikimaru smile. It wasn't often you could see Dan in this state.

"Oh my God!" Jin shouted as another song started to play. "This is so the best song ever… I love Murphy!!"

"Huh?!" Rikimaru and Dan wondered.

_Oh my god  
Becky, look at her butt  
Its so big  
She looks like one of those rap guys girlfriends  
Who understands those rap guys  
They only talk to her because she looks like a total prostitute  
I mean her butt  
It's just so big  
I can't believe it's so round  
It's just out there  
I mean, it's gross  
Look, she's just so black_

I like big butts and I can not lie  
You other brothers can't deny  
That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist  
And a round thing in your face  
You get sprung…

Unbelievable song, unbelievable place, how could they play just anything and people still danced it trough like it was the latest thing. Rhythm was fast or maybe not, it just seemed to go faster and faster by the second as it sank in to your blood. He simply loved to dance.

…_I'm hooked and I can't stop staring  
Oh, baby I wanna get with ya  
And take your picture  
My homeboys tried to warn me  
But that butt you got  
Make Me so horney  
Ooh, rump of smooth skin  
You say you wanna get in my benz  
Well use me use me cuz you aint that average groupie  
_

Dan was doing something strange in the dance floor and it looked fun so Rikimaru followed. Jin was dying in laughter.

_  
I've seen them dancin'  
The hell with romancin'  
She's Sweat,Wet, got it goin like a turbo vette_

I'm tired of magazines  
Saying flat butts are the thing  
Take the average black man and ask him that  
She gotta pack much back…

They were drawing quite a much attention as Rikimaru was doing his own thing with his hips; he started to member the lyrics of the song. And why did it felt so perfect? Because Oni was watching or because he was hell of a drunk? __

..I just can't help myself  
I'm actin like an animal  
Now here's my scandal

I wanna get you home  
And UH, double up UH UH  
I aint talkin bout playboy  
Cuz silicone parts were made for toy…  


Someone put his hand to Rikimaru's waist and it took some time for him to notice that it was Dan's.

…_I'll keep my women like Flo Jo  
A word to the thick soul sistas  
I wanna get with ya  
I won't cus or hit ya  
But I gotta be straight when I say I wanna --  
Til the break of daw…n  
_

Sure, he thought grinning and slapped his mate on his butt. Dan answered laughing and pulled him closer.

_  
..But I'd rather stay and play  
Cuz I'm long and I'm strong  
And I'm down to get the friction on_

So ladies (yeah), Ladies (yeah)  
Do you wanna roll in my Mercedes (yeah)  
Then turn around  
Stick it out  
Even white boys got to shout  
Baby got back

(LA face with the Oakland booty)

Yeah baby  
When it comes to females  
Cosmo ain't got nothin to do with my selection  
36-24-36  
Only if she's 5'3"  


Jin couldn't keep up and disappeared somewhere but the remaining two didn't notice it much. Now that there were only them left they danced more together and couldn't help the fact that it was getting a little bit intimate. Dan was a good dancer but if he hadn't been it doubtfully would have much bothered Rikimaru. And what was the better way to get his message trough to Oni than to have fun with someone else. He didn't care to look was his message getting trough and if it was he shouldn't be here anymore.

_  
So your girlfriend throws a Honda  
Playin workout tapes by Fonda  
But Fonda ain't got a motor in the back of her Honda  
My anaconda don't want none unless you've got buns hun  
You can do side bends or sit-ups, but please don't lose that butt  
Some brothers wanna play that hard role  
And tell you that the butt ain't gold  
So they toss it and leave it  
And I pull up quick to retrieve it  
So cosmo says you're fat  
Well I ain't down with that  
Cuz your waste is small and your curves are kickin  
And I'm thinkin bout stickin…_

Was he here? Had he left in the middle of the show? Well that was what he was after, right, he wondered.

_  
…To the beanpole dames in the magazines  
You aint it miss thing  
Give me a sista I can't resist her  
Red beans and rice did miss her  
Some knucklehead tried to dis  
Cuz his girls.. _

"…I think I need a drink…?!" Dan shouted.

"…Okay!" Rikimaru shouted back. "…You first…!"

Was the atmosphere getting more packed or did he just imagine it, Rikimaru thought. He saw a clock on somewhere and thought how could it be so late already. It was an hour till the closing time. Dan ordered something to them that was coloured in screaming pink. Rikimaru was leaning his back at the desk and looking around the bar, managing to look past the one person he was looking for. Dan poked Rikimaru's side saying: "…There's your drink… I go to look for Jin… Wait here?"

Rikimaru nodded and just as he was about to take the drink from behind him someone came to his side also leaning on the desk. "…Excuse me…!?"

He had got Rikimaru's attention.

"You happen to know the time?!"

"Um, it's something over three? I don't have a watch…"

"…Okay thanks…"

Rikimaru remembered the drink now and took the slight blue class in his hand.

"…Sorry to bother you all the time…" It was the same guy.

"Don't mind…"

"You know which time the bar closes?"

"…Four…"

The man nodded smiling and Rikimaru tasted his drink, swallowing it down quickly. He didn't want to remember this night. He looked but all ways managed to miss the one dim corner where he was watched.

What was that chubby guy talking to him, Oni thought, did he think he had a change? Not in a million years and not even if he'd drank half of the bar empty. What was the guy trying? Oni then thought of something. He remembered the seeing the blond man with Rikimaru ordering two pink drinks and the chubby had a blue drink. But wasn't he drinking the pink one and Rikimaru the blue one just a minute ago. He looked to the bar desk again to see if he was right.

They were gone. Oni couldn't see neither one of them. He cursed himself for his sloppiness. Like he couldn't think while he looked at him, yeah right, he thought, still not seeing them. He spotted the men Rikimaru had been with before but no Rikimaru. They hadn't even noticed he was gone. Damn.

He put his pint to the nearest table and heated towards the exit but then thought maybe to check the bathrooms first. There were bathrooms in the second floor too but he didn't think the guy would have got so far by then. There was at least twelve cells most of them open and empty.

He came to a cell that was locked. This was a good idea wasn't it, he thought to himself, how the hell he was suppose to know who was behind the door. "…Rikimaru…?! Are you there? Rikimaru, answer me, please?"

It as quiet. Finally female voice shouted out. "…Fuck off, here's no Rikimaru with me…!" He didn't bother to answer. Fuck, what a waist of time. They had gone out for sure. He could only hope there weren't any free taxis.

He ran outside and leaned to his knees to catch his breath. There were a young couple stepping in to a taxi and two more taxis waiting. There couldn't have been a fourth one, now could there. _Please, let there not have been a fourth taxi… _

A couple on his right, passing on the street got his hopes up and not for vain. The chubby, clearly older male was supporting Rikimaru as they tottered on. He was talking mumbling something continuously sounding very enthusiastic. What did he think he was doing, getting on a romantic date, this made the anger rise in Oni. "Hey!" He rose up and started walking quickly towards them. He could see the chubby was hoping the roar wasn't meant for him. "…That's right! I'm talking to you, you bathetic shit!!"

The man looked behind him and after he saw Oni he leg go of Rikimaru and ran as fast as he could. Oni came to where the man had left Rikimaru. Any insult didn't seem strong enough for the occasion so he just gritted his teeth angrily.

He looked down at his feet where Rikimaru lay on his back looking very… sleepy. Oni couldn't quit figure his state of mind at first.

"…You… can you… call my mother and tell her that… that she … cooked… it was the… neighbours cat… didn't eat the… pie… Murray… I have no black hair in me… my mother should know…"

Oni kneeled next to him. "Rikimaru… Did you hurt you self when you fell down… Did you hit your head…?" he asked carefully and Rikimaru focused his eyes on him.

"…You… are not… Ayame? …who…?"

"Never mind about that… You think you can get up?"

"Hey…! You came back…! …I'm sorry I did it… or not… you have to… understand… I doesn't mean we have to… stop… it's not like we are… together… or anything… …why are… you so quiet…? You still mad? Stupid prick…"

"Okay, lets go…" He grabbed his hands pulling him up. He was gong to pass out in any second and he had to all most carry him if they were to get somewhere.

"…When's …? …Should I collect the old… comics away…?"

"Taxi!"

"…Don't… shout… that… hurts…"

Oni looked over to Rikimaru who just seemed to be more and more out of this reality. He spotted a taxi and it slowed down to stop.

"Okay, we are going to go in a taxi… You wouldn't mind shutting up?" He had seen the emptiness in his eyes and thought he had no idea where he was or what was happening if not even realised who he was whit. The whole situation made Oni feel uncomfortable. Rikimaru whispered to his ear all of a sudden:

"…I can make it up to you… babe…I wanna fuck you…"

"…Who-ho! You got the wrong picture there… Just get, in the car…?"

"…But I was going to the train… Fuck you…! I hate you!"

Oni sat next to him on the back seat and said the address. Rikimaru laid on the two seats as Oni sat on the other side Rikimaru's' feet at his lap. He tried to look out side and hoped the other would sleep already.

"…You think I don't know what you did… Oh but I do… you goddamn boy toy… I'll bet you'd fuck anything that moves if it just, wasn't just, a fast pray… you fucking sad n' old bitch…"

The taxi driver looked to the mirror. "…I don't have to listen up all kind of grab… shut up, will you. Or I'll make you walk the rest of the way…"

"What a fuck do I care…! …I have a job in the cleaning business…"

"…Just shut up…" Oni forced himself to say so at least the driver couldn't say he hadn't tried.

When they finally arrived to his place, Oni paid the taxi and carried the unconscious Rikimaru to his apartment. He tug him to his bead and sat next to it on a chair looking at him. He was so still, he thought worried and checked his pulse.

Maybe he should call his friend who was a doctor, he considered, but then Rikimaru turned a bit in his sleep and it seemed he was just in a deep sleep after so much dancing. And danced he had, he smiled his sad smile. Maybe if he would just stay here for awhile and see that he kept breathing.

He wouldn't trace the line of his face or take his hand to his and kiss it, he didn't deserve to be around him anymore. He was quiet and beautiful in his sleep. Didn't even notice who was next to him. No doubt that when he would wake up things would be rather different. He wouldn't be calm like he was now and his face would have that hard look again that he had back in the bar. But now when he laid there quietly he could all most dream nothing bad hadn't happened between them. Or rather Oni himself hadn't screwed things up by cheating.


	9. Moping Babies

Urban theory; Chapter 9 

He perhaps had the worst headache of his life as he came to consciousness. The place, time and position were unknown. Carefully he opened his eyes to come across a room he had never seen before. Bookshelf lined both of the long walls of this bedroom. There weren't any windows just a door on the other end of the parallelogram shaped room. The bed was jammed and askew on its left a small bedside table under a digital clock.

Rikimaru stared at the green figures narrowing his eyes.

"It's eleven." Other man came to the room carrying a book in his hand. He had changed his clothing to a more comfortable home wear and had his long hair loose as he liked to keep it. He put the book away in to already clog shelf. "…How are you feeling?"

Rikimaru had rose up and sat now on the edge of the bed, keeping his head in his hands.

"…How would you think I'm feeling?" He mumbled out in his angry voice. He would have rather not to say a word and just get out. His balance was lost for moments as he sat. He had left, but only to come back in a minute, carrying a class of water and pills. He lowered them to his eye level standing in front of him.

"…Hey…" He said trying to make him open his eyes and so Rikimaru did.

Slowly he took what the other had to offer. Even thought he would have fairly told him where to get off and more, this was the mother of all headaches. "…Why… am I here?"

The air sifted on his face and he knew he had moved away as he swallowed the pills and water. He took a few soundless breaths holding his elbows to his knees and slings the class in his hands.

Other leaned to a table next to the door folding his arms. "…Would you rather be on the street, raped and…? You don't remember, do you?"

Rikimaru sat quietly and the other thought he didn't shake his head because it probably would have hurt too much. "…What do you remember then?"

"…dancing… looking for, Jin and… waiting Dan…"

"Should have done your waiting a little more carefully… While you weren't watching, the guy next to you spiked your drink…!"

"That doesn't explain why I am here, whatever this place is and why I am here with you…"

"Close to the harbour, in my home, as my guests… I thought you'd need a bit help…"

"Thought wrong! Don't make your self a saint…! I'd rather wake up in anywhere else, but in your house…" The anger of his own voice hurt his head and he winced.

Oni saw that and gave him mercy as he didn't shout back. The other one was too messed up still to understand reason or his own head. If there had been reason to begin with.

The one on the bed side looked a bit up, opening his eyes. "…You mean the guy… who asked me the clock or something…?"

"…Or something…" Oni's eyes gave out too much of unspoken anger towards Rikimaru and his attitude.

"…how do I get out of here…?" He prepared to rise up to stand.

He looked at his attentions with suspicion. "…You sure you want…"

"Fine, I can find the door by myself…" Rikimaru hopped up from the bed. He stood there awhile until he flopped back to the bed.

Oni looked at him lying crosswise on the bed and he wondered was he awake or unconscious. He shouldn't lie on his back like that. Maybe he should have called to Tesshu just to be sure. Carefully he went closer to check that he was breathing. Rikimaru moved and Oni pulled his hand away quickly. Rikimaru opened his eyes just the same way he had before, but noticed he was still in his nightmare.

"…What did you give to me…?"

Did the other imply now that he had drugged him? _Unbelievable._ "…Something for the headache and something for the bad feeling… Why?"

"…Plain curiosity…"

Rikimaru looked at the other direction giving him space to get his point. The other was surprisingly calm and even friendly. Despite it all, Rikimaru didn't believe his act of kindness. Oni had his vested interests in mind for sure, what ever those would be this time.

"…I'll let you get some sleep…" He turned to walk away.

"…Don't think I'll be staying here…" He rose up to sit again. "As soon as I can stand and walk, I'm out."

The black haired man looked at him in disbelief. "…Come on…?"

"…Don't try to tell me what to do…"

"Well listen to your sense then? You can barely sit…"

"And I barely know that you are there and it's still making me nauseous…!"

There were no way he was going to change his mind like this. Not when he continued to be such a big baby. "…Fine…! …I'll help you to downstairs and you can order your self a taxi, if you still…"

"I don't need your –fucking- help!"

Somehow Rikimaru got up and didn't fell right back to the bed. Steadily he walked to the bedroom door.

"No…"

Rikimaru was nearly out of the room but an arm across the doorway stopped his way. "I won't let you go… Its cold outside and a long way to centre. You can not possible walk and it's the rush hour so you won't get a taxi."

"…Please, remove your arm or I'll do it for you…"

"Are you even listening…?! …You wouldn't move a fly if it got to your way right now, you think you can take me?"

"…Come on this is pointless… I could just crawl under it…? You have better things to do when I'm not in the way."

"…Stay… I'll make… coffee or tea or what ever you think you can eat… Just for a while… we could talk… Please…?"

"Talk…? Talk about what? There is nothing I wanna hear from you and trust me, you don't wanna hear it either what I got to say… So…?"

"…But you have something to say, don't you…? Stay, please…?"

Rikimaru sighted helplessly. He probably just could have managed to get outside a moment ago, but now this standing around was getting little too tiring. Also the look Oni had could have made a man eating tiger feel like a purring kitty cat. He wasn't going to get out of there alive, was he? "…Fine…"

Oni let his arm slip of the door frame. "…Breakfast?"

"…Bathroom?"

"…Downstairs… Straight across the living room and right… You can manage the stairs?"

"…Here's a handrail, isn't it…"

---

Rikimaru got to the bathroom and closed the door so no evil could witness his sickness and pure panic. He leaned to the sink because standing at two feet felt like carrying a thousand pricks on your shoulders.

_Fuck... Fuck... Fuck. Fuck.Fuck!! _

What had he done to the world to hate him so much?

---

When Rikimaru came out, Oni was already cooking something in the kitchen. He was a marvellous cook to say at least. Rikimaru stayed at the corner and watched him.

"…You're feeling any better?" The cook said suddenly noticing him.

Rikimaru sat on a bar bench next to the kitchen table as the other fiddled around the stove. "…Yeah…" He didn't want to think what Oni had given to him.

"…Think you can eat toasted bread and fixings of choice?"

Rikimaru looked at the apartment. "…Yeah… sure…" The place was huge, touched the size of the club nearly. The bedroom he had been sleeping in was a one small box and stairs that came right down from the door. There seemed to be another room further and separate, near the ceiling. There weren't much furniture or at least he couldn't see them under the cardboard boxes. Boxes in behalf were full of different kind of stuff but the rallying point was that those were all full and exuding to the braking point.

Rikimaru tried to remember the promise he'd made in the toilet; to act more like an adult, not as a jealous housewife who has caught his cheating husband red-handed. After all, he had help him last night, hadn't he? "…Like what you'd done with the place… brown boxes and all… you moved in recently?"

"Kind of… haven't got the time… to short them at their right places…"

"Oh? Why not?"

"…Had to quit lot of paintings…"

"Really? I haven't heard of anything?"

Oni took the pan of the stove and put the bread on a plate on the table that he had already served.

"…Private order, portraits and stuff… And you? What have you been doing?"

"…Working… partying…being useless…"

"…Hmmm… You still in that law firm?" Oni arranged the table one more time.

"No…"

"…No?"

"It was taking too much of my time, anyways… didn't have the time for my friends anymore…"

"So, what do you do now?"

"…All kinds of stuff, experimenting, maybe I just don't know what is that I wanna do the rest of my life… So, I'm trying to find it out."

"…But…?" He hesitated like if he wasn't sure should he say it or not.

"What?"

"I thought you liked being a lawyer, you worked your ass off to that company?"

"…Maybe that was the problem at the first place…"

Toasters tasted absolutely so good when those weren't burned to black. So Oni still remembered what he ate for breakfast. This small talk was doomed to end. Either one just snooped or tried to taunt other. Both were hoping that he wouldn't have to be the one to take the first steps to the mine zone. Rikimaru got irritated. What were they trying to do here, paths up their deformed and shallow relationship that they had tried to deepen or at least Rikimaru had?

"…Did you want to talk about something?"

Oni looked at him wondering if he was going to throw it at his face no matter what he said.

"…Did you?"

Strange answer. "…No, I didn't…" He consecrated to his meal again.

"I know that… you saw me with her… and I'm so sorry about…"

"What? That you were cheating me or that I caught you two at it? Who was she, now that we're talking of it? Good fuck? Or what should I call her, had you been together long?"

"…That was the first and only time…! And I'm sorry, okay… I dunno what else to say…"

"Good, cause I don't wanna hear it…"

"…Can you… forgive me?"

Rikimaru was surprised that he actually could laugh to it. "…Forgive you…? Seriously? What, you want us back together…?"

Oni didn't deny it by words.

"…You think…" He didn't want to show how much he truly had been hurting. "Didn't I just tell you how sick you make me feel or weren't you -listening at all-..? …What could we have now? It didn't work then it sure as hell won't work now. Before, I at least thought, I could force myself to feel something, stronger towards you, but… In a way we are too much the same… We're both too… aggressive to fit…"

"…Not together, it wouldn't work… But could you consider us to be friends…?"

"Hmmm… No."

"Why not? Didn't we have fun together?"

"…I don't wanna be friends with you…"

"…Fine…" Oni smiled amused.

Rikimaru had finished his meal a few lines ago. The chilling silence wasn't going to go away by it self that they both knew from experience. They weren't friends so what was Rikimaru waiting for?

"I'm gona go now. Think I can manage by myself for now on…"

Oni bit his slip as if not to snap right then. "Sure…That would make me more than happy…Oh, and no need to thank me, no! Don't think I'll be saving your ass next time…!" He shouted after him.

Rikimaru had walked to the elevator and stopped. He hated to ask but…

"Did I have anything with me…?!"

"…No…?" Oni came to the room.

"Yes… right…" Rikimaru found a check stand ticket from his pocket. Just his luck. He thought to throw it away in his anger but then again the jacket wasn't that cheap. Oni leaned dangerously close for his own good as he took something from the rack.

"Here…" He tried handing it to Rikimaru. "Go on, take it, you wouldn't believe how cold there is… Yeah, yeah you said you don't want anything from me, but I'm not giving it to you… just borrowing… It's kinda like stealing…?"

Rikimaru grabbed the long, black leather jacket and put it on almost as someone would have forced him to do so.

"…But I would still like to have it back…"

"You gona be here tomorrow?"

Oni nod slightly.

"…I'll bring it to you at afternoon… four or something…?"

"Sure, whatever suits, I'm here all day…"

And now it was Rikimaru's turn to nod as he stepped in to the huge freight elevator. And little after that Oni watched him walk away with his twenty thousand jacket.

---

God it was so cold, he thought while he walked on. Or actually it wasn't, when you put your hands to the jacket pockets and rose up the collar. The jacket was wool-lined, water-proof, comfortable, good looking, smelled familiar and just so too frigging nice.

The headache and nausea was but a mere hazy memory. Why didn't he feel worse about seeing him and talking to him? It wasn't at all what he had expected. At least he could have been decent enough and really shout back or did he look that sick. On the other hand Oni never shouted when he was angry to someone, he was more about the deeds not talk. Or what would Rikimaru know; they had never fight before when they were together and the only -fight- they had had split them up like a lightning.

When he saw him cooking their breakfast, the moment seemed to be out of place, like back then. He could almost see him self walking to him, hugging him and murmuring something sappy to his ear so sleepy that the other could barely tell what he was saying-Embarrassing in a sad way.

And for Hyne's sake this morning would be even harder to remember as he had the time to think it over. Did he really have to take the jacket back? Maybe he could give it to Ayame and she could return it in her police uniform.

He had walked an hour and a half when he finally came to his home door.

"…Ayame…?! You home?!" No-one answered but there was noise coming from somewhere. It was coming from the bathroom which door was open and a man in a blue coveralls and t-shirt was kneeling at the floor.

"Um, hello?"

The man on the floor turned around, he had been looking in to his toolbox. "Oh, Afternoon, Warner from the plum services…" He offered his hand after taking of his glove.

"Rikimaru Azuma…"

"Oh, your wife called me, you have a tricky problem here… Something has blocked the water from coming to shower, I think it's probably small rocks or something as they're re-connecting the water pipes a quarter away… No need to worry…"

"…Will it take long?"

"No, as I got this open and put it all back together… Half an hour or so…But I'll better get back to work…"

"You want to take a break? I could make some coffee?"

"No thanks, I'll better get this done… I should still get to another place until my days full…"

"Okay… I'll be here if you change your mind…Um… Did she say where she went?"

"…She told she left a note on the kitchen table…?"

There it was; a yellow post it stamp. _Shower didn't work, went to Kiku's to take one. Plummer came when I left, hope he didn't rob us off or stole your dildo… love, Ayame_

Rikimaru had nearly gotten chanced when the doorbell rang. Who could it be? Ayame had keys. Maybe Oni had missed his jacket, but then again, he didn't know where Rikimaru lived. Or did he? He opened the door and behind it revealed Tatsumaru. He looked tired, like really tired.

He didn't say much just walked in like a zombie the door following him like a magnet even thought Rikimaru didn't see him pulling it close. "…Sorry…" He had his head resting Rikimaru's shoulder and hands tied to his waist. Rikimaru nearly fell back as Tatsumaru suddenly seemed to think he was some short of a big pillow. "…You can sleep with her or anyone you like… it's not my business…" He mumbled.

"…Where have you been?" It wasn't hard to tell that his friend was a little tipsy. "…Tatsu? You alright? …Hey?" Rikimaru tapped his back, but Tatsumaru didn't respond. On top of that he had clued him self to Rikimaru.

The plumper stared at the two as Rikimaru tried to slip past the open bathroom door unnoticed while Tatsumaru made it very difficult by hanging on him. Rikimaru took him to the couch and fell there himself as Tatsumaru's death grip wasn't so easy to get out of. After some struggling he got away and Tatsumaru curled up in his sleep. Rikimaru sighted and the plumper came out writing something to a piece of paper in his hands.

"Oh, you done…?"

"Yep… just writing the bill…"

Rikimaru saw the man to the door after he had given him the bill. Rikimaru didn't really want to look at the over all costs. The Plummer was nearly out of the door when he suddenly stopped to say something.

"I know it's not my business and tell me if I'm wrong…but…" He eyes the couch.

"…Huh? Ou... She is not my wife and we're not together um, we are more like siblings if anything else…"

The plumper didn't buy his explanation.

"Listen boy, you got a fine woman in her, if I were you I wouldn't play around and break her heart…You should have heard the things she said about you…"

"Honestly…" Rikimaru tried for nothing.

"Don't give me that… Think about your kid…!"


	10. Surprising apologies served with revenge

**Urban theory; Chapter 10 **

His thoughts heavy, Rikimaru tried to doze in the armchair, but couldn't feel his awareness slip away. This disappointed him truly and he just sat leaning to his left elbow so that it was beginning to hurt. Tatsumaru instead slept like a baby, taking up all the room from the couch. It was eight p.m. and Ayame was still in Kiku's or where ever. The house was empty of people to talk to and that was good, until…

Tatsumaru rolled over on the couch and yawned opening his eyes just so much that he could see where he was sleeping. He rose up contented by the fact that he knew the place and that Rikimaru was there next to him. He seemed to be absent, just staring in to the open space. "…What day… it is today…?"

Rikimaru's thoughts had lingered on the other man just a while ago. Rikimaru had to be the more grown up one. The way Tatsumaru had acted in the bar, appeared to his door and passed out, reminded him of something. Or was it that he had appeared on his door, looking for shelter from the big bad world. Who was he to protect anyone? Oni, as ridicules as it felt now, had in away protected him. He was the more grown up one of the two. He wouldn't think about driving a car over the others jacket and burning it afterwards just to show the other that he didn't care a fuck. "…Sunday…"

It was Déjà vu, of course, he realized. The whole arrangement was so obvious. He was acting on to Tatsumaru like Oni had been treating him. Non-caring user, already looking for a next weak minded to abuse. Oni saw him in merest a funny guy who was okay to shag with in time to time, but eventually still too annoying, too boring, to stand, like Tatsumaru. Rikimaru, like Oni wouldn't care if he broke the other one's heart by doing something irrelevantly stupid. It was so easy to feel cold even if the other didn't share it.

Yes it was the same, except Tatsumaru didn't love him.

And except; he didn't most certainly anymore love Oni. No way it was possible, because he had never loved Oni. It had been an illusion, a fiction of his own lonely brain that had no idea what love really was about.

My god, what was he thinking, Rikimaru woke up to fall down from his high horse. Had he always been this pathetic or had he eaten something very over dated? God damn, he wanted to get out of his own head, but this time with out any drugs including to it. Maybe more of an axe was needed but it wasn't in a reach.

"…How did I get here…?"

Talk about Déjà vu, Rikimaru thought desperately trying to put his self centred, self pity thoughts away.

"Crawled in from the door and fell on me…"

"…Yeah… Did I apologize?"

"Hmmm… yep."

They changed looks. Tatsumaru looked like he wanted to hear something more from the other but Rikimaru didn't get what it could be.

"…So?" Tatsumaru started carefully. "…Since I've slept in here and not in the street… We're okay?"

"Of course…! …Where were you the whole night, I waited you to come back… and so did the others…"

"Oh, I'm sure Jin did… He won't talk to me for sure…"

"Sure he will, he's just like that sometimes… Trust me he'll get over it…"

"…So, you missed me…?" Tatsumaru grinned teasing and managed to look sheepish at the same time. How was it even possible, Rikimaru thought quietly? "I doubt it… You know… You have gotten yourself quite a reputation as a… real bash beast, everybody seems to know you…you know that?"

"Oh no…" Rikimaru stated shamefully.

"You know they are saying that the beast has made a comeback… You partied a lot when you studied?"

Rikimaru ignored the question. "Did you go home or what…?"

"What-what-what? You trying to hide from me…" Tatsumaru crawled to him, his look giving away his intentions.

"Tatsu…"

"…Has the party-animal-maru gone hiding for the Sunday morning…?" He said kneeling on the floor, closing on Rikimaru's legs.

"…It's evening, pm. not am…"

"Oh? …Well, even better… for what I got in mind…"

"…Tatsu…I…"

Tatsumaru looked away and for a moment he looked amused. "…Fine… Don't worry, I won't jump to your bones if you don't want me to…" He had rolled back to sit on the floor and leaned now to the couch. He opened his messy hair and tied it back again. "…I'm gona go…"

"Don't leave yet… Stay…"_ Ouch, the cursed déjà vu…_

"…Look, Rikimaru, I won't go broke, you don't have to…"

"Sit your pretty ass down, now…" He told Tatsumaru, pointing at the couch and Tatsumaru did as he was told after some hesitation. So Tatsumaru had noticed. "…I'm tired as hell… but I'm afraid of being by myself right now…?"

"…Why?"

"I can't sleep… things just…" He sighted. "…keep bugging me…"

"…I know the feeling…" Tatsumaru leaned back on the couch, straightening his shirt. "Has something… happened?" It seemed so unlike him to be sad and oh, well, turn down sex.

"Oh nothing much… got drunk, got drugged… nearly raped…" He laughed tiredly with out happiness in the voice and continued. "…and… oh boy…" He just continued laughing, this time rubbing his eyes. "…and the morning was even worse…" Somehow that didn't make him laugh anymore in self pity.

The living room was dead quiet for a moment. "…How is that funny?"

"…Not in anyway, I guess…"

"...What happened? Weren't you with…?"

"Yeah… I don't really wanna talk about it… It's not like I would remember any of it, anyways…"

"Rikimaru… you sure, he didn't… in anyway, hurt you?"

"Only my pride… My ex saved me…"

Tatsumaru felt helpless seeing Rikimaru like this, weak and lost, like he himself had been. Why didn't he know better what to do or what to say to make the other feel better?

"…Which makes it even more embarrassing…"

"…Don't blame your self…"

"Why not? …It was my fault was it not? I drank too much as all ways and didn't pay any attention for what was happening… Sure as hell, it was my fault…"

Tatsumaru couldn't make up anything to deny it. "…Why was the morning worse…?"

"…I… I rather not tell… you mind…" He smiled mocking, but as he saw Tatsumaru's concerned face his own got more serious too. "…I'm fine, really just tired…"

"So, if you're fine and tired… Why can't you sleep?"

Maybe he should tell Tatsumaru and hear what he thought of it. Something told him not to tell. Why, he thought, why couldn't he tell him? "…My ex and I… we… didn't actually brake up as friends… and it wasn't really a brake up… we just turned each others our back and walked away in different directions…" Now as he was saying it, it didn't sound so bad and Rikimaru felt himself very petty. "…He cheated me… I caught them, never seen him since…"

Little insecure he looked over to Tatsumaru who waited to hear more. This was useless maybe, Rikimaru thought as he had said the words. The words seemed so hallow, meaningless and strange, like he would have been telling someone else's story instead of his.

"…He tried to be nice… he was nice… He… wanted us to be friends…?"

"…So you were like really serious… when you were together…?"

Was it so hard to believe that he could build up a real relationship, Rikimaru thought? His carefully chosen words maybe didn't give out the deepness of his feelings towards the man. "…No… we weren't even friends… so I daub it would work anymore…" Before Tatsumaru would ask more, he thought to get ahead of him. "…So… You still didn't tell me where you went and with who…?" Rikimaru managed a smile.

Tatsumaru's concern got distracted with that sudden question. "Well the truth to be told… I wasn't either having the greatest evening… The roommate I told you…?"

"Mr. Cuddly…?"

"….Hmm, yeah… well, he just turned nineteen… but that's not the real issue, we had a fight about… me… us and…"

"You?"

"…His family doesn't really digest him having a relationship with a man, not that they would know but, his aunt died and he had to leave to her funeral… He was really afraid meeting them, afraid they would guess… I should know, I've been there… Well, it went to a fight, he blaming me… what I had done to him and misled him to live a sinful live…"

Rikimaru laughed, mostly because he was so tired.

"…It's not funny…"

He couldn't stop just yet. "…I know… But hey, what can you do when you're so damn gorgeous…?"

"Now that really isn't funny, Rikimaru…" Tatsumaru looked away and Rikimaru had to worse himself to stop laughing.

"Come on, I didn't mean it like that, you should know…!"

"Yeah, yeah, right, whatever…"

"…You don't believe me? You could make a straight man…"

"Talk about misleading, you are not helping…" He looked over to Rikimaru and found him grinning mindlessly. "…You…! Fucking annoying today… I'm not that amazing, never been, never will be…"

Tatsumaru looked sad and pissed and that wasn't good as he himself was having so much fun. And he really shouldn't have said those things as he knew how insecure Tatsumaru was about his appearances sometimes. He sighted deeply and hopelessly looked over the room. "…Prove it to me…"

As Rikimaru didn't continue on it Tatsumaru looked a bit towards him. "…What…?"

He waited patiently until Tatsumaru looked at him properly eye to eye. "…Strip… and let me look at you, make me touch myself…Tatsu…?"

Tatsumaru laughed nervously and blushed looking for a spot in the floor that would have made him think of something else than that image. "…Weren't you tired or something… Besides… That's just… perverted…! I won't and that's that…!"

"…Well, that's that then…" Tatsumaru had no curiosity to experiment. "…I would… but I think I can't get up from here anymore…"

Tatsumaru still stared absurdly to the floor as Rikimaru took a more comfortable position on the armchair sliding down a bit. The ceiling was… plank. "…Nineteen, you say…? Is it serious…?"

Tatsumaru had crossed his arms over his chest and seemed to be thinking a right answer for the question. "…He's nineteen…? …And homophonic…?"

"I remember when I was nineteen… All I could think about was sex…"

"…How does that differ from the point you are now?"

He thought it for a moment. "…Then I hadn't got this… feeling of being alone when I'm old, like 35 and my life is over and… I think -a lot- about it, not –all the frigging time-…"

"…Right…" Tatsumaru sighted giving up in some department.

Before either one had the change to start a new pointless conversation the door opened and Ayame came home. She was smiling to herself as she put her jacket on the rack. Rikimaru hadn't seen her so happy since he couldn't remember and was little surprised.

"…Hello my darling wife… What took you so long?"

She walked to the living room still a smile playing on her face as she looked at the two boys.

"…I had such a… You know what…? I think I met a wonderful man…"

Flashback

Ayame was washing her hair in the small shower that was situated in the same room with the bathroom. She wasn't in her greatest mood. She was still busy in her work doing long hours and the only free day she had in weeks was cut in half. First her boss called her and asked for some ex con's file so she had to stop by the office. As she had delivered this mystery file to her boss's house it had started raining and of course tyre broke down. When she arrived home, covered in wet mud and ready to kill the first person who came across, most possibly Rikimaru, the shower didn't work.

So it was raining outside like back in the times of Noah, but not a single trop was coming down from the shower. Momentarily she thought to go and stand naked on the street, but then she could kiss goodbye for the promotion she had been working for. And there were too much dishes in the sink.

So what can a girl do but call to her mates? Or to her only option; Kiku. Unfortunately Kiku had other friends too and was not home, but told her where the key was so she could go in. The house would be empty, because her dad had gone to fishing with his friend.

Now that Ayame had gotten rid of the mud and sand she started to feel a bit better. Anyways this day didn't actually differ from the others that much. Maybe some good work out would brighten up the day she had.

Ayame had just tied the towel around her after squeezing of some of the water from her hair when she heard the front door. She looked at her clock that was over the sink and thought it couldn't be Kiku yet. Perfect, she grinned to herself, she had catch a burglar. Well, all most, now she only had to catch him/her and make sure that the lesson was learned. What if Kiku had been alone in the house or her poor, old and defenceless dad?

She couldn't bear the thought and so she thought to hurry and did not dress up, just tightened the towel around her.

Carefully she listened and heard some noise coming form the kitchen. She opened the door and moved forward. As she came to the kitchen she noticed it was empty. That was strange, she was sure she had heard someone in the kitchen just awhile ago. Silence had landed all around the house and for a moment she thought the house was haunted.

Maybe the burglar had gone to living room to check the TV and that short of stuff. She walked to the other end of the hallway where the living room waited. It was too quiet. Hadn't she put on the radio as she came? As she was about to look around the corner a man behind it gave her a scare. Both jumped back and yelped.

"…But that back so I can grunt your face on the floor!" She yelled to the man who was carrying a heavy candle stick made of silver.

"…Excuse me…!?" He started angry, but then he noticed her very convincing, home security uniform that didn't quite match with her attitude.

"…What are you laughing about, dirt bag…! Don't think I can't take you…!" She pulled the candle stick from him and threw it on the sofa. In the same time Ayame tripped the man on the floor and made sure he had no change to get away by holding his legs down by her ankles and keeping his shoulders tightly on the floor. "…I assume a smug like you has no friends and you came alone, huh?!"

"Listen…" The man tried in vain.

"Don't try anything stupid, I'm a cop and I know every trick you got! So you came alone…? How sorry for you…"

"You got it all wrong…!"

"Don't tell me you're the Santa Claus, you got the wrong date, buck…" This wasn't usually her luck, she thought, admiring the crook she'd catch. Usually she got all the balding, over aged, idiots.

"…I… if you'd just let me explain…!" He made a false move by putting his hands to her bare tights to gain some control under the lunatic who had a graze glint in her eyes.

"…What's it pervert!" She shake furiously her finger over his face but that was a mistake because she had to leg go of his shoulder and gave him an opportunity to roll over.

He pressed her hands on the floor with much effort. She was feisty and fast, if not so strong.

"Listen, missy, I don know who you are and what are you doing here, but…"

Ayame wasn't going to stand this. "…Missy?!" She kicked him in the stomach and won her place back. "…Don't ever call me missy… So you got id or are you just a bum? You thought to rob us off, huh?"

"…Rob –us- off?!" He tried to rose up but couldn't. "…I live here!"

"Yeah sure and I'm a house maid…! Don't think so… And keep your hands where I can see them!"

The man just rose them up defensively and looked away innocently if not half terrified. "…You sure you are a cop?"

"Sorry, the badge didn't quit fit to this towel."

"Yes, I can imagine…"

"Don't get yourself in any bigger problems you already in…! How about that id, anytime soon?"

"…My back pocket…There should be a valet…"

"Stolen no doubt… So come on, show it to me…!"

"Well… you kinda sitting on me…?"

"Oh, give me a break… Roll over then, but slowly…!" Ayame said very stern. "Put your hands above your head." She took the valet and look in to it with one hand the other pressing on his back. "Who did you say you were?"

"Matsunoshin Gohda..."

"…Yeah, right and you have a fifteen years old daughter…" She laughed still looking.

"Yes… Kiku, you know her?"

The door slammed shut and they heard Kiku's voice from the hallway. "Hi…!" She looked at the two: Her dad on his stomach, hands behind his head and Ayame sitting on his backside only a white towel on her.

"…Dad! Why do you always have to be so embarrassing…?!"

The man on the floor tried not to choke on the mat under him as he tried his best to understand his daughter. Ayame was still sitting on him. "…D-dad?"

Kiku put her things on the rack and walked to them. "Yeah, you two haven't met? …Oh yeah it was Rikimaru and you were late as all ways…"

Both stumbled up from the floor as Kiku introduced them. "…Ayame, this is my dad, dad, this is Ayame… Now what have you two been doing here… Or wait I don't wanna know…! I have homework!" She rushed to the upstairs and was gone like she never had been there. "…God you're sick…!" Well all most.

"…What's your language, young lady…!"

"…Okay, I go and put my clothes on now there is no fire… I mean…" She mentally hit herself. "I'll put my clothes on…"

"Yeah, you do that…"

Ayame slipped in the bathroom and thought about killing herself in there. What was the matter with her?!

In a minute she heard a knock on the door. "…Sorry to bother, but I just thought to ask you… are you a coffee or a tea drinker…?"

Why was he offering her coffee now, she thought and couldn't get on with her dressing up. It would be a one awkward tea time, but at least she could apologize. She bites her lip just wanting to get the embarrassment over and done. "…Um… Coffee, thank you…"

"…Okay…"

She heard his steps move away and sighted. Yes, just her luck…

The kitchen smelled nice, fresh coffee and donuts if she wasn't mistaking completely. She didn't remember when she'd last time felt herself so uneasy. Maybe it was when she had laughed like a pig in a posh party. No this was worse. She had her hands in her pockets just because she didn't know where else to put them. "Hey… I'm really sor…"

"Maybe we should start all over again, like that never happened…?" He looked at her in question until he gave her his hand. "Hi… I'm Kiku's dad, Matsunoshin…"

"Ayame…" She smiled not sure was she confused still or just amused.

"…You can call me Mat as my friends do…" He offered her to sit down and went to look for cups over the closet.

"So…Mat… You really are her father, because if I didn't know I just might have mistaken you to somebody else…?"

"Can't blame you for that… People do that a lot since we only have fifteen years between us…" He smiled from where the spoons were situated. "When I'd gone to her school, like parent's meeting… they often think I'm her big brother… but never a dad…"

"…She talks about you a lot still… just…"

"Not my age, yeah… Well you heard her; I'm all ways embarrassing her…" Gohda sighted deeply, but smiled still. "Hope she isn't too impossible with you…?"

"Nah, she's wonderful…"

Gohda sat down with her as he had got everything ready. "...Don't get offended if I ask…?"

"Hmm… maybe, maybe not…?"

"You really a cop or where you trying to spook me out?"

"…Don't you remember? …That never happened, right?"

End of flashback

"Can't believe you really attacked Kiku's father, Aya?!" Rikimaru faked to be shocked.

"Don't start with me…! You should have warned me that he is dead gorgeous…" She shouted back as Tatsumaru still laughed for his private mental image.

"Not that… gorgeous…?" Rikimaru asked with suspicion. Ayame straitened her hair a bit and looked at the other way before saying it with a strait face.

"…Well… Of course not… He's Kiku's dad… for crying out loud! How desperate do you think I am?"

"…I think I should go home… and see if he's already home…" Tatsumaru said getting up from the couch. Ayame used the opportunity to flee and went to her room.

"Aya…?" Tatsumaru went after her and peaked to her room from the door.

"…Huh?"

"…Don't be too mean to him…okay?"

"Why? What's happened?"

Tatsumaru left and the door clanked shut coldly. Ayame stood there and looked at the door and then Rikimaru who was already a sleep on the couch. And she had thought she had a bad day, Ayame pleased his sort hair, but he didn't nudge.

She went to get his blanket and tucked him to sleep at the couch. Why did these things happen? Why now when he'd been so much happier for the few passing days? She leaned her head on the couch as she sat on the floor and though it over.

"You gona sleep there…?"

She looked up surprised. "…I thought you were a sleep… Tatsu told me…Are you okay?"

"Yep, but you people should really stop asking me that or I won't be sure anymore…"

"The ex… was it him?"

"…And we have a winner…!" He yelled in quiet, half sleep voice.

She looked at him carefully trying to find the true answers he was hiding, but he saw that.

"…Maybe I've thought wrong about my feelings towards him. It wasn't that bad thought… It should have been, but wasn't… He actually was nice… if that's possible…?"

"…No way, he's a complete shit head for cheating you and deserves to be burned alive, but… he helped you…?"

"Does it make him less of an asshole…? After all… anyone should have helped a person in the state that I was… it's an obligation…?"

"…Hmm… No-one else noticed…?" She ticked her fingers on the fabric.

"…You know… he wanted to be friends…?"

"Screw him… I mean not…! He's only trying to get from you, right…? You wanna be his friend…?"

"I… dunno…"

"So, what do you want then?"

He looked at her and for a moment he thought should he say it out loud. Rikimaru had a vicious but solid look in his eyes as his voice was weak as a whisper. "…Revenge…"

---

Oni crabbed a book from one of the boxes. It was lighter than he had thought; maybe it was the wrong book. He heightened it again in his hands just as if he would have been blind and instead of looking at the cover he stared at the other boxes. It was the wrong goddamn book, he finally realized and threw it away to somewhere.

Why he couldn't find anything anymore, he thought as he had stopped his search after many hours. He put his tired arms to his hips and twirled around looking at the box hell around him. It was already dark outside. Dark and cold, like in his apartment. Did he try to punish himself for something, he wondered while he kept himself busy. Well it wasn't working. He changed his place on the floor and looked into another box. There where books, memos, cables and microchips which he all dumped on the couch.

"…This isn't supposed to be here…" Under all of it was a calculator looking thing. Any burglar could have said what it really was; a code cracker to pas security systems. Oni looked at it, it brought back old memories.

But who cared about memories, when you still were live and well? He sighted putting it to a table next to him. He should have cared. Now that he had so graciously fucked up everything. Anyways the cracker was old and ancient history so with a help of it you couldn't even break into an old lady's mattress. It wasn't really dangerous stuff to leave lying around where everyone could see it.

What else had he forgotten to hide or destroy to keep his double and triple live hidden? Considering the chaos in his apartment it was a miracle that he hadn't fucked up even more graciously. And in how many pieces he had to go to keep things up. There was Suzaku Moerumoya who was innocent, little loose but promising artist. His friends called him often Oni as a comical nickname. The second was called also Oni, by his fellow mates like Tesshu, Kagami, Kagura and Kichigoro. But that was all in the past, that Oni didn't exist anymore like their little gang of robbers didn't. The third was the last and the worst; Onikage. That personality had gotten him self in to the list of FBI's three most wanted. He was a con artist, thief and a rotten, spineless shit, who yet made no mistakes. He was the nightmare, but also the one of the three that most likely keyed up in him.

While he crawled under a small tea table to get a hold of some boxes, he thought about how he loved his life on the edge and wouldn't have it in any other way. That he wasn't so sure anymore. Sure, he had money more than enough and if he ever gets caught he could by himself dozen lawyers from the top end. He had houses, he could act on his whimsy whit out thinking the costs, make the world go on its knees by a snap of a keyboard or trap the big shots and laugh to their stupidity with his friends. Despite it all, all that he had concurred he missed a family around him. He hate to admit that he wanted all that sappy stuff; wife, kids, semi house and even the goddamn Beethoven if necessary to feel complete. But now he couldn't find himself sure even about that any longer. Right now the only thing that could make him feel some short of a fulfilment was the one lawyer he couldn't buy for him self. Not with a favour, not with an apology, not by crawling nor by twenty thousand leather jacket. And for the truth he didn't want to own him like a piece of item.

Finally he had found the right box as he sat on the floor looking trough its contents. Maybe he should clean his apartment. It had been months since he moved here and it still was a mess. He was loose headed no daub, he thought. First he changes his apartment to get away bad karma and feelings and then can't settle down to start over. Had starting over been his plan to begin with, he wondered and took a book in his hands. It was poisonously dusty. He should be ashamed of himself, he had been very tidy.

He leafed trough the pages to check something he wasn't sure of. "…glaze… burn in… 1020-1080 degrees…hmm…?" Oni closed the book and eyed the room. It wasn't like him to forget numbers or little details like that. Was he getting the flue or something? He took the book with him and walked to the basement that was four floors down.

In a small secret alcove was an oven made for burning clay. He changed the temperature from a button and closed the door. On his way up he tossed the book over a pile of wood meant to be burned. Doorbell rang.

He went to the door and looked at the camera that was guarding the front door. He pressed a button next to the screen. "What do you want?"

The man standing in cold air was surprised for the voice but looked at up to the camera. "For first… to get in… How's that…?" The man had a short black hair that was slicked up like some 'idols' winner and his dressing reminded about the same. He had small but beautifully shaped eyes that didn't uncover much of his thoughts that he liked to keep on his own until the other had no other options than listen. He didn't look handsome by the first look, more like a sculpture made by needles, so sharp were the lines of his face.

"And second?"

"Are you bloody way trying to kill me on your front step…!?" The man on the door had a fit. "…You know I cannot say what I got to say in here, when I don't even know who's there to listen, honey…?"

Oni thought not to torment him longer and push the button that opened the door downstairs.

"…Third floor…"

"…Should I be thankful or what…?" Oni heard him say as he already was away from the camera. He walked back to living room and started to short things out again. The other man didn't bother to take of his coat and sat on the couch just opening a few buttons. He looked at Oni who was looking trough some papers.

"What did you want, Ranzou?"

Ranzou made a gesture with his hands and had that stupid, sneaky, smile on his face that Oni wasn't sure did it ever get off.

"…You are not going to offer me tea and biscuits…?"

"…Hmmm? No."

"How rude…" Ranzou took a better position on the couch. "…I only came to check upon you that have you already become a mummy, and I'm hurt to notice that my speculations are true…"

"Ranzou… Cut to the chase, will you?" Oni put the papers away giving his full attention to this babbling annoyance. Ranzou seemed nervous or just more serious, it was hard to tell. He changed his position again and was now leaning to his elbows above his knees. He considered his words for a long time for to be Ranzou.

"…I need a… one more guy, to help me with the… 'Spark'… from, well I pet you know where it is kept…?"

"…I don't do that short of stuff anymore."

"Right… Tell me, you cannot possible think of paying all your pills by painting stuff? I know your famous now and all, but hey… Don't think I'm stupid."

"Ask somebody else."

Ranzou saw him concentrating back to his papers. "…You know… You know what I think, Oni?" He didn't get a reply. "…I think you 'moved on' your own… and we, the ordinary people, just won't suit you anymore…"

"You won't change my mind."

"…The hell, what would I do with you anyways… You've been out so long you probably don't even remember how the things do work… Time flies, Oni… And if you don't fly with it… You drop… like a stone."

"Maybe I like dropping and pain and all…"

Ranzou sneered. "…Daub it… Its written all over you, you wouldn't like it…"

"Would you?"

"…Hey, we're all friends here, right?" He smiled and sifted funnily. "…You have thought me a lot and I respect you for that… I'm just sad to see you giving up…"

"Well like I said, get somebody else, I'm busy with other things…"

"…Yeah, I can see, you moved in recently…?"

"…Not really."

Ranzou rose up and for a moment he looked at him completely focused to fix a broken basket that was made of twined willows. "…Right then… I'll go…" He waited for some short of a mark that the other had heard him and finally Oni made a nod. He saw Ranzou of to the elevator. To the last point the other waited that he would change his mind, but eventually he had no other choice but to step in the elevator.

"I know you're not out…" Ranzou said trough the upright grid just before the box started to sink down.

Oni waited that he was out of sight and went back to the living room. Well of course he knew; he wasn't stupid as he had just said. He had known Ranzou since they were kids. Ranzou was only a half a year younger but still he had needed constant looking after. His classmates teased him because he had trashy clothes and because he had no father. Oni took him under his wing, still he wasn't sure why and they started doing together anything and everything that they could think of was illegal and turned to their benefit. Later they roads parted.

Oni looked after him from the window. Ranzou had potential to do whatever he'd want but instead of reaching forward he rather spend his time and money in specialist porn shops and strip clubs, chancing a girl more often than his socks. Sad, sad, sad, Oni thought a bit irritated. What a waste of his time.

He looked over the code cracker and wondered if Ranzou had even noticed it. He looked trough some of the boxes as if to remember what he really possessed. His hand caught a false address book he kept to lure of some of the curious ones. No point to look in there, there were only celebrities, which he actually and some unfortunately knew.

Then he remembers that there was also Rikimaru's former number. He didn't have the same number anymore, which he knew. He also knew that he was living with some beautiful female, who had the same last name and happened to be a cop. That had scared him a bit back when he'd traced Rikimaru down a few days after he'd disappeared. But it was false conclusion.

Would things be any different if he hadn't been so ashamed of himself and faced him then? Rikimaru hated him and he knew he deserved it still. But if he only could have explained it. Would he have understood even if not forgiven?

Kagami hadn't spoken to him since they slept together. Maybe she was ashamed too as it had been so obviously a mistake. She was his last change to prove himself something that didn't mattered now. Not whit out him anyway.

Last night he had been in the bar with Tesshu. Kagami and Kagura should have been there too but it seemed they were somewhere else bad mouthing him. Women, he thought sighting deep. Kichigoro, their short of a leader, was doing his sentence in prison. He was older than the rest and had looked after them and had even gone to jail for them. Sure it sounded that the four had had it easy, but it wasn't so. They were between the rock and a hard place, cops and crooks and neither really liked them for some reason. Things had luckily changed a lot. Kichigoro was living like king inside, mostly because of the bribes Oni and the others had paid.

And he had nearly been caught. He shivered for the though of a small box whit out windows. How different his life would be on the rot bottom. He'd been there once and sure as hell wasn't going to go there again. So where the hell was he going? His calendar was pretty much empty or at least there weren't anything important. He'd almost forgotten that Rikimaru was supposed to bring his jacket back.

He laughed quietly amused by the fact that he'd nearly forgotten.


	11. Accepting facts

**Urban theory; chapter 11 **Accepting facts

Tatsumaru had left home at Saturday evening to meet Rikimaru, Jin and Dan as he had already gotten snapped by Hitoha, his roommate. Jin had snapped to Tatsumaru and he himself had snapped to Rikimaru. He went home and the evening continued the same as his roommate snapped at him. Tatsumaru was fed up snapping back and finally he got bored of all the snapping and left banging the door shut. He wasn't sure where had he exactly spent the whole night, but he was sure he had spend it alone and still snapping to himself. Now it was Sunday evening. The day he had spent on the couch in Rikimaru's and Ayame's apartment. He could walk straight to a bar, because he still got his bar clothes on and for second he thought had nothing else to do now that Hitoha was in his aunt's funeral.

He decided to walk home no matter that all that awaited him there was the blue emptiness of an apartment building. He should find maybe another roommate. Someone not cute and cuddly who resembled a puppy dog sometimes, preferably not male and not a crazy female person like his cousin. Was he asking too much of the world?

He could already see the house, it wasn't a long way anymore and in no time he was at his door, he thought. For an unknown reason Tatsumaru didn't feel comfortable going into his own home. Did he feel guilty, yes. He was older, okay much older, than Hitoha. He was beginning to think that maybe he really was all those things the other had said to him, calculative user among them. Tatsumaru hated those people he now was referred to.

They had used him but had they also made him to act like he was acting now, irresponsible and selfish. But of course he would have not acted if the other hadn't made the first move or maybe that was just it. Maybe he should have just said no and told him it was wrong.

Tatsumaru looked at the stairs but never stopped his walk. He almost ran the steps up, afraid the steps would disappear if he would slow down or stop. Despite he stood at his door stopped by his thoughts and half he wanted to know if the apartment was empty, like he thought it would be. How was it wrong, he questioned. Was it a learned reaction from his father? Or was it what he really thought? Or was it what Rikimaru had told him about his last evening? The ugliness of this world seemed to amaze him time after time.

It was wrong, because Hitoha was lost, looking for answers, over eight years younger and alone in a big city. It wasn't wrong for Hitoha to want him or think he might have want him, daub the boy knew even himself, but what was wrong was that Tatsumaru had want him and still did. When he thought about Hitoha he realized that. He should have been the wiser, older and become conscious of what would it all lead to. So the whole mess was his fault, Tatsumaru sighted accepting.

He woke up realizing he still was behind the door. How long had he stood there? A little shamed of him self, Tatsumaru looked over his shoulder before stepping in. It was dark in the apartment. He didn't put on the lights. He usually never did when he was feeling down. It was like having more room to think when the emptiness of the darkness rounded him or then it was just the easiness of not seeing too much. He liked his lips and swallowed before he managed a frail voice. "…Hitoha?" No answer came to him as his eyes were beginning to get used to the darkness.

Hitoha's shoes weren't there.

Now it felt even more empty, the house, the apartment, his heart. Why had he called Hitoha's name, they were in still hostile and he should not care to speak to him. But he did want to say he was sorry and put all the pieces back together again, if not to help his guilty conscious, but at least to make the boy feel better.

While he moved silently to the bathroom he thought to check were Hitoha's things still at their places in the closet or was the other planning to move out completely. He was surprised of how happy he felt that all was in order or not but at their usual places. He brushed his teeth remembering well in the darkness were everything he used was. He changed for a pyjama and went to bed.

Hitoha's aunt was buried today, Tatsumaru thought, looking at the ceiling above his head. Thinking about Hitoha's family got him thinking of his own. Ayame was still the only one who knew the truth about him. The horrible, ugly, condition that some man suffered because of a brain dysfunction, like his dad had told him what they meant about gay man. Tatsumaru usually called home once a month to be sure his parents were okay. They just kept asking him if he had already meat a nice girl and when he would bring her to show at home.

He looked at the clock and by a quick math he thought it was already morning in where his childhood home and parents were still. He rose up as he could get the thought out of his head. The phone was in a reach of a hand and he grabbed it dealing a familiar number. The phone rand only a one time as an old female voice answered cheerfully. She had always been a morning person.

"…Hi mom…"

---

Jin woke up in his bed that was actually a mattress on the floor. Pare, warm skin stick against his. The sun of a Monday warmed the bed nicely. The morning had come way too soon, he shouldn't have fallen a sleep, he wanted to make the most of it and pulled the other one closer, nuzzling his face to his chest not really wanting to look at his face to know was he awake or not. He should really get up and make breakfast.

Jin thought he was still in deep sleep as he didn't react in anyway, except mumbling something and sleeping some more. Jin smiled thinking that he just might have understood what that was and petted Dan's golden locks.

Jin got up under the planked careful not to pull it away from Dan, who only took a better position on the mattress as he now had the room for it. Jin looked at him smiling sadly before tearing himself to the kitchen that actually was in the same room just a bit further and separated by a table. Jin had nearly gotten away and turned his back as Dan dissuaded to roll on his back and rubbed his eyes waking up. Jin seemed surprised but said. "…Morning to you too…slept well in my bed…?"

"…Oh God…" He rose up to sit. "…What a feeling…" He held his head and it took a more than a moment for him to absorb Jin's words.

Jin sat down on a small living room table and waited. Dan started looking around him, narrowing his eyes. "…Jin?"

"Yes…?"

"Is this your apartment?"

Jin had to laugh, but not his usual happy laugh, this was more tired than that. "Yes, Dear… You drank too much, like Rikimaru the night before… wonder if he has managed to get up from the bed yet…?" Jin said looking smug drinking his apple juice.

Dan could get now his both eyes open at the same time and looked over at the bed and where his clothes were. He didn't spot them so he searched them on him self and he noticed there were only nothing. Dan looked worried over to Jin who seemed pored or tired or both and before the other could ask Jin said. "No, we didn't slept together… not like that. You just danced naked all the way up the top floor where I live…"

Dan pulled the planked upper acting shy. "…Ou?"

"…Maybe you and Rikimaru could go together to AA, huh? That would be fun?" Jin waked a crazy smile.

Dan didn't look at all amused. Jin could tell that now he really was ashamed of his behaviour or maybe it was because he was sitting on the floor only a thin bedspread to cover him self with.

"…Here…" Jin took a pile of clothes behind him and threw them over to him. "I'll be in the kitchen… Thought, you don't have anything I wouldn't have seen yesterday, babe…"

Dan started dressing up as Jin had disappeared. He leaned against the freezer door and drank his juice. This morning had just turned to sad.

Dan came to the corner and leaned the wall keeping his eyes almost closed. He didn't even notice how in thought his friend was. "…Remind me… never to go in a bar twice in a weekend…"

Jin looked at him in pity, but wouldn't get over tending because it was Dan's own fault if he felt bad.

"Shit head…"

---

Ayame drawled into the corridor to get the morning paper. She wasn't in a hurry because she had been doing extra hours and now dared to be away from work whole five hours before the lunch. It was Monday and her Sunday hadn't been at all what she'd expected it to be; lying in bubble path the whole day, but still she felt her self happier than usually. Had someone put something in her coffee?

It still was the Monday morning no doubt about that as she rubbed the sleep of her eyes and picked up the paper. She focused her eyes to the headlines…

"Oh my God!!"

After a minute Rikimaru stumbled up from his bed, eyes forced to be half open. "…What?! …Where's the fire…?" He yawned it out very concerned. If her scream didn't wake him up the sight sure did. "…Ayame…?!"

She was wearing the jacket Rikimaru had left on the bench next to the door. She twirled around happily like a little girl who just got her first black, leather jacket. She made a gangster pose crossing her arms and made different faces. "…Wow… How can you afford these things… You still haven't paid the rent, that's how…"

Rikimaru didn't get what was so special about one jacket. "…It's not mine… Actually I though to run burning a car over it…" He walked back to his room. "…Can I borrow yours…?"

It was a shame that Rikimaru didn't see her gaping air like a fish on a try land. "…W-who's it then?" She walked to his door still holding on the jacket. Rikimaru looked over her and thought would the piece of cloth look as good on someone else.

"Its… -his-…"

"…Why do you have his…?"

Rikimaru felt it very difficult to explain these things so early in the morning. "…Because… I lost my own and he insisted I borrow his because it was ice age outside… I should bring it back to him today, but…" He grinned viciously.

"Okay… I take back every bad thing I ever said about him…" She said and went back in front of an mirror, continuing from where she'd left before, posing. Rikimaru was a bit confused now and followed her. It was his turn to gape for air as he didn't know what to ask.

"…So, if you're not going to return it… which would be harsh… for me and, yes for him… can I keep it?"

"…What's so special about one jacket?"

Ayame was walking on her tip toes and humming some happy melody.

"…Aya..?!"

"Oh come on Rikimaru… You really are one strange gay man, when you don't recognise a brand name product even as it practically walked on you…"

So it was a mark product, so what he thought. "Looks a plain ordinary leather jacket to me…" Well it was nice to wear and looked like a piece of gold.

"…Of course the money -doesn't- matter, but… But this is like giving your house keys to someone, Rikimaru… And it's not just the price that makes these so cool… handmade, real leather and the finest wool, very enduring… God…" She couldn't continue as Rikimaru thought already that she could talk about this one jacket the whole day.

"…So? How much money precisely are we talking about here?"

She thought it a moment, but sounded very sure of herself as she said it. "…Last time I checked… About twenty… thousand…"

"Twenty thousand for a jacket?!"

"Yep… Only about sixteen if it is an old buy…" She continued to marvel it.

Rikimaru went all pale as he remembered all his thoughts of what to do with it in the morning.

"…But I don't think it's old… only a month… I'd say…"

The slightest thing he had thought was probably stabbing it with a knife or just cutting off the pockets or…

"Hey, Rikimaru…? You seem pale?"

"…Huh? …Y-You wanna… t-take that off?"

Ayame looked disappointed, but then looked over to him like crown up, knowing that he would do the right thing and return it. "…You gona return it?"

He put the jacket carefully in a hanger and said with his voice of –of-course-I-will-you-think-I'm-insane-. "Sure I will…! If I still wanna live…"

Ayame walked into the kitchen remembering the paper. "You wanna know what I think…? Well I tell it anyways…" She waited for him to come to the kitchen.

"What…?" He sneered getting over the greatest shock and then realizing that he would have to see him again. Unless he would broke in unnoticed. Return the cursed mark leather jacket like a shadow, moving silently like a snake and returning like a …whatever… where did that come from…?

"…He wouldn't send the bloodhound after you, if you wouldn't return it…?"

"Ayame… You can't have it…"

"Oh shut up, I'm not talking about me for once here… listen… So he apologizes, yes? And you tell him to stuff something in somewhere, like you usually do when you let that lovely side of you show…"

"Give me some of that coffee so can take you yapping…"

"…You leaving and oh, there's so cold and rainy outside…"

"What's with the drama, Romeo?" He laughed pouring some milk in his cup.

"…He sacrifices his beautiful rose to help you… and asks you only a one thing… To return it to him…if you dare to come see him again… Well anyways, my point is…" She got her normal voice back. "…You didn't forgive him and you two will probably never ever meet again, so he makes you to come back with this jacket, to make it easier for you to, you know, come back wiser and rested and maybe not tell him to stuff things again… But, if you won't return it, he has still made something for your good, as financially… Anyways my point… yes..! You have already forgiven him, only now you need to make a choice will it be a, Fuck you, I hate you, gave the jacket to my lovely roommate… and… I'm so petty and childish and I can't deal with this… b, I'm a crown up, you are maybe not, take the jacket, I don't care a shit about you… oh and there is a c, its kinda like the b but with an less cursing and plus one thank you… Got my point…?"

Rikimaru leaned his forehead over the kitchen table. "…You mean I should go with the C?"

"Hell no..! A is the best, I think… Come on now… He saved your ass, didn't he? Where were you friends, Jin, Dan and Tatsu? No talk about me… I was beating up an old man…" She crabbed Rikimaru's hair and lifts his face up. "…You are not perfect you're self… You could at least thank him… Because… trust me when I tell you… That man really regrets and… and… maybe, yes, wants to get in to your pants, again, but who of as wouldn't, cheesecake…" She smiled widely and petted him behind his ear.

---

Oni held his phone and waited someone to answer. Every second was torment, but finally a female voice answered. "…Hello?"

"You avoiding me, Kagami…?" He waited a long time before she answered.

"…Well what would you think smartarse?" She sighted as she didn't have the strength to think of anything else to say. "…You stalking me?"

"…Why would you say so?"

"…You saw the trouble to cover up your number… I should have known better…"

"…You just admitted you're avoiding me, Kami…"

"…Hmm, don't call me like that anymore…"

"Why?"

"…It's past… like… Oni…"

"Yeah, whatever, why are…?"

"Why am I what?"

"You weren't in our meeting, you don't answer my calls, and you don't talk to me anymore…?"

"…I'm talking to you, aren't I? I just…"

He should have said something, but only thing he could have said was already out and open so what was the point saying it again. He waited.

"…No offence… what happened then, feels so… unintelligent, pointless, stupid… And I'm kinda embarrassed by the whole thing. It's not like me to do things that I know I'll regret later…"

"…I know… But hey, at least we are certain now…"

"…Yeah… So, can we now forget it ever happened?" Kagami was only a little surprised as he didn't hear him answer right away. Maybe he was thinking the truth behind her words. "…Oni?" The self righteous ego of a man, she sighted with out a sound until she remembered that Oni was dating someone back then. Was it serious or not, did the third party knew, she didn't know.

"…Yes, by my side we're okay…"

"…Back to normal…?"

"As normal as we can?"

"Hmm…" She sighted accepting. "…How have you been?"


	12. No funny stuff…

**Urban theory; chapter 12 **No funny stuff…99

It was two p.m. on Monday and Rikimaru was cycling back to Oni's place with the jacket in his back bag. His thoughts lingering here and there, thinking should he do that or the other, and as he reached his destination he still wasn't sure of his mind.

He left his bike leaning against the wall and took the jacket off the bag. It was in a plastic mothproof bag he had bought ten minutes ago. He pressed the doorbell and mentally hit his brain for the one last time for a reason he couldn't or didn't want to remember anymore. The bell rang and the door to the corridor where the elevator was opened. Rikimaru looked briefly to the camera above the doorframe and felt a pinch in his cuts.

He had waited at least to hear Oni's voice before seeing him face to face so he could tell in what mood was he in and would know better him self what to expect. It was completely okay to be nervous, Rikimaru thought as he stood in the elevator, the hanger hanging from his left shoulder, wondering where there a camera in there too and would he be watching if there was one.

The elevator stopped and Rikimaru opened the grid, the same hallway opening ahead of him that he had left a morning ago. He wasn't there.

"Just a second…!"

Rikimaru heard him shout from somewhere. He knew better than to go after the voice again and just dissuaded to wait. After a five seconds Oni came to the hallway suddenly. "…Hi…" He said quickly still walking to him.

"…Caught you on a bad time still…?" Rikimaru asked an evil glint in his eyes.

Oni answered as innocently as he could, seeing clearly what he meant.

"…No…! I just was kinda stuck in there… I'm cleaning up…"

Oni seemed over energetic like back then when Rikimaru had watched him paint. "…Right… You finally found the time…?" Rikimaru tried to buy his time to prepare for the hardest part.

Oni was bit of careful not that it was recognisable for to take part the small talk. "Yep, here's no room to live anymore…and I need more room for my work…" He sifted uneasy.

Rikimaru nodded and pretended to be interested of how Oni's new living room might look and then handed him the jacket, like it wouldn't have been the only thing he had come here for. "…Thank you… for borrowing it to me…"

"…No trouble, it was nothing. I knew you wouldn't dare not to bring it back…" He said playfully mainly to himself. "You want the bag back?"

"No… I just…" Rikimaru smiled suddenly trying to remember what sense had he seen in this just awhile ago. It was so damn hard to swallow one's pride even if you wanted to do so. "…I'm not going to apologise about yesterday …But, I'm grateful for what you did… getting me away from, that guy and all. So, thank you for that… too… and I would like to have that bag, on a second thought…?"

This wasn't what he meant to say or was it, Rikimaru thought meaning the apology more than getting the useless bag back. Anyhow it was getting too funny and too upsetting for him to continue on it. He heard Oni assenting and he disappeared to kitchen saying that he had all the hangers in there. "…Come on in…!"

In kitchen, Rikimaru wondered but shook it off. Oni wasn't kidding when he'd said he needed to clean up.

Oni was putting the jacket away as he noticed that Rikimaru was holding onto his own and hadn't left it on the hallway. Not that he really had expected it, but he hadn't really expected him to return the jacket either.

"…You want coffee…? I was just about to take a break; I need something that I'm able to move the cursed bookshelves…"

"Oh really… I don't remember you having so many books…? Rikimaru looked at the living room.

"Well actually, all of them are not mine. I'm just storing them up for an old friend. He moved to Australia so he couldn't take all of them with him." The books were Kichigoro's, who was in jail at the moment. Well, they used to send convicts in Australia.

"I could help you… anyhow… now that I'm here…?"

"…You sure?" Oni couldn't help but to smile and not because he would have been amused by something. He walked to next room where the shelves were Rikimaru fallowing him. "They are quite heavy cause I haven't emptied them…"

There were three different shelves all coloured black and all full. The room was clearly smaller than the others; it was narrow but long and like all the other rooms jammed full. Rikimaru eyed the shelves. "…And you thought to move them all by your shelf, huh?"

"…Oh yeah well… It's not like I'm in a hurry to anywhere…" Oni moved to the corner of shelve and pointed Rikimaru to take a hold of the other end. "…Living room…"

The shelve squeaked as the bottom of it rose from the floor. Rikimaru backed up and Oni pushed from the back.

"My god, what are you holding in here? You sure this won't break?"

"…Nah… Just get over there…" He nodded and they got the shelve turned and on it's place. Oni started to make room for the two others and threw some of the paper boxes on the couch. He didn't probably notice that Rikimaru was looking curious of his friend's book collection.

"…Locks, knots and security…?"

Oni pretended to be dumbfounded for a second and looked at the book on the shelve. "…He writes thriller series… all thought, hadn't published anything yet…and kinda mad for crime novels too…" Oni hoped the explanation would also cover the 'Banks world wide' and 'Anything to steal?' "…Let's move this a bit, so the other two will fit in here…"

After they had moved the other two to their places Oni offered him the coffee but Rikimaru refused.

"…I should get going… I still got class to keep at five…"

"You got time, it's only half three…?" Oni said victoriously.

This meant he had to take off his jacket for five minutes and sit down. He sighted as Oni was already pouring the coffee on two cups. Rikimaru put his jacket on the chair's arm and sit down thinking that it was his own fault to get stuck in this situation. Why had he offered to move the cursed shelves or that matter brought the jacket back? It was all her fault; she had talked her into this, making it sound like it had some sense. "What you said yesterday, about wanting to be friends…?" He had a plan and it was the thing that made the most sense at the moment so Rikimaru stick to it.

"Yeah…?" Oni turned around and took a sip from the cup so he wouldn't have to continue as Rikimaru played with the spoon in a cup and looked as bothered as he felt.

"…Well… yesterday… I was mad and hurt of what you did, then. And I can't lie and say that I would trust you in anything anymore… I thought I knew you and, you go and pull the carpet under my feet, in a snap …I just hoped you would realize, how it felt to see you two…"

"Trust me …I do…"

"Let me finish…Okay? …I know I'll regret this, but… I lied when I said I don't want to be friends with you, I do want to, but I want to trust you, know you… not to play any stupid games like back then… I don't want to end up a knife in my back…!"

"…So?"

"…So… you want to see again or what?"

"By saying; not to play any stupid games, you mean…?"

"Just plain good friends, no funny stuff, we could never go back to funny stuff… wouldn't work… if you'd even looked at me the wrong way I'd kill you… Literally…"

Oni nodded smiling a bit and considered. "Hmm… Friends…?" He offered his hand like starting everything all over again when they had first met.

"…Friends…" Rikimaru hold his arm for the short while and felt it so weird to smile and look at his face. It confused his mental state, but it was already too late so snap now that they had made up. Had they really, the long silence after the friendly handshake felt hostile.

Luckily a ringing phone saved them both. "…Just a sec." Oni said going to the next room. Rikimaru stayed and looked at his cup like he'd never before seen coffee. Friends, huh, Rikimaru thought. This wouldn't be easy. Had they ever been friends? He heard Oni answering the phone.

"Moerumoya…Hi…"

Apparently it was someone he knew.

"…Anything."

Sure they had lots of things in common. When they met for the first moment they connected, they laughed to the same things etc. but they had also shamelessly flirted the whole time. But then of course they had their emails back from the time they didn't feel any physical attraction to one another. Only thing was thought, Rikimaru couldn't remember the topic of those electric letters.

"I'll look into it to night. What shall I do with her?"

Oni sounded so serious and strange, but didn't he always. What would they do together now that they were friends, he thought forgetting his curiosity. Would they end up in each other's bed again? No; that would not happen. But would he be thinking it? Rikimaru looked over to the room where the voice was coming.

"Then she should be okay…"

They could go camping again. Drive to country side by Oni's motorcycle and… No that wouldn't do, he thought it over again. Not by the two of them anyways, it would be awkward as they had done some experimenting in the cramped tent last time. Maybe they could make dinner together and just talk over all. Or maybe not, considering that Oni was usually the one to actually make some real food and he himself took care of the -afters- part. Of course they could just hang together, but only couples hanged together like that. Had they done anything together that didn't include implies of sex or just having some of it? Well of course there had to be something else they did together. They hadn't been together for that long but all their time they seemed to have spent it together. They couldn't have spent it all in sex, could they?

"What?! You got to be kidding…?!"

Not so grown up voice broke the line of his thought. Just what I was thinking Rikimaru thought and sipped his coffee and almost spit it out in a same motion as he heard the next one.

"I'm no nanny! …and I don't know… but…"

Strange conversation, Rikimaru thought. For a moment ago it had sounded like a business call.

"I'll do it…Bye"

He heard his silent assenting to his fate and a moment after he came back looking a little worried. Oni saw this needed an explanation. "…Sorry…"

"Something serious…?"

"…Yes… and no… I'll know tomorrow… So…?"

"…So?"

"What now? Rikimaru? …I would give you my number, but I know you aren't gona call anyways…"

"You think I'm gona disappear again?" He smiled and finished his coffee thinking that Oni wasn't going to get out that easy. "…Why would I?"

"Hmm… Let's just say that… If, I'm not to touch you, what will we do then…?"

"Hey, what's it…!" Rikimaru shook his finger with intent already making a leave. "I might just forget that I still got your number… or have you changed it?"

"…No…"

"Then I'll call you…"

"You are just saying…?" Oni said mildly.

"And you are just teasing me to call you…Right…?"

"Hmm, I'd say you call to me, tomorrow and give me your number or you can forget the whole thing…eh?"

Rikimaru stepped into the elevator. "…Well, I see if I remember…"

Oni swallowed the smile away as Rikimaru was gone. Quickly he moved to his laptop, sitting to the couch and pushing away the boxes he had just lifted there. So much about cleaning the house he thought and buried himself to the net. The call had came from Kichigoro who needed his help with some relative of someone that short. That would take all of his night and probably even tomorrow and that would only be the starter.

He broke in the police files and downloaded them to see what they contained. The loading was taking it's time; 5.

Why did it have to happen just now, he thought. He was already enough pursued by the law and tried to keep his profile low and then something like this happened.

…24

And then he should have thought more carefully about the matter with Rikimaru. He was pretty sure he would call. Give his number and talk or just think so loudly that he could hear the ticking true the line.

…30

Maybe he should take him to golf or something. He'd have to think about that later. He would be busy with this for awhile. He just hoped Rikimaru wouldn't think he was intentionally avoiding him. Maybe they could go to somewhere with a big croup, so it wouldn't seem so obvious or vexing. If just for the first couple of times so they could get them used to the idea of being what ever they would be. Maybe in time, Oni hoped, that Rikimaru could forgive him completely, if now he was still at the war zone thought he wanted to show otherwise. He knew him better than Rikimaru dared to guess and Oni thought if it was the same for him.

…50

And maybe in time Rikimaru would let him come closer, mentally as well as physically. But that thought seemed to be so far-fetched and it was too soon even to quietly think about it. He was greedy to want both sides of him and he was horrified for the idea what it would take to deal all that was ahead to gain all that he'd lost. Still he would be contented to have at least some part of him to keep.

…62

It was dangerous and pointless to think things trough too far when nothing was for certain.

…70

He thought; if he wouldn't call. It would be all over by them.

…85

Maybe he should get a lover. God knew Rikimaru had had more than one. But who was he to say anything about it. Was the youngster dating someone seriously, probably not, Oni thought? Rikimaru would have said something. There weren't so much time between this and the day they broke up.

…95

Nah, he thought boringly, he didn't want just any lover.

…99


	13. Scars

**Urban theory; chapter 13 **Scars

It was about two weeks later and a Friday, clock was coming six p.m. and Tatsumaru listened his voice mail. He barely could hear what was the phone saying for the rain behind his window. It was his cousin:

"Hi, call me." Her voice said not discovering much what she wanted to talk about. Tatsumaru did as told and called her.

"…Hi Tatsu…"

"Hey… you had something important…?"

"You sound tired?"

"Just came from work, had a long day…"

"Yeah I heard, TMA listed on the marked today, huh? Had a big party?" She listened him yawn.

"Yes, but I didn't feel like staying… Haven't really slept properly… in a week….

"…You father called me today at work…" She could just hear how Tatsumaru stopped breathing. "You finally told them, then…?"

"…My father called you? He must be really upset…"

"I know, he was talking who knows what… Called me a freak…"

"…What? Why?"

"Because I'm a female… and a cop… unnatural he says… Whish I could just bash his face in…! Sorry, after all, he's still your father…"

"…I'm sorry for what he said. How can he be so…! …I told my mom, two weeks ago…"

"How did she take it?"

He felt like crying when he said it. "…Cried… told me to stop it… How could I, Aya… It's who I am…"

"Listen, Tatsu… Don't you even think about changing to anything else. We love you as you are…"

"Yeah sure… How have you two been? It feels like eternity since I've seen you…?" He could just see her smile, her voice brightened up as she did so.

"…Come here to night and you'll see… Everyone is coming, we're having a pg13 girls night and I'm also here… plus Kiku… and possibly her father too, so are you coming?" She finished quickly.

"Um… I think I won't… I'm really tired…"

"Okay… but then you won't see Rikimaru's new friend…?"

"Oh? Is this like more permanent kind of a –friend-?"

""Well actually…" She whispered her words. "…He really is a friend, not like we thought… They actually -don't- sleep together…Strange huh?"

"Extremely…" Tatsumaru heard Rikimaru's voice from the background, but couldn't tell what he was saying.

"Oww! …Go away, bastard…!" She yelled but luckily not in the phone. "…Sorry… Home violence… Rikimaru is beating me up…"

"…What did he say?"

"Something about me and not getting some anytime soon…and…" She was yelling off the phone again. "Threw a fucking hard shoe at me…!"

Tatsumaru tried not to laugh. Thank god he wasn't living in a same house hold with Rikimaru and Ayame.

"And who's fault is that Mr. Viagra?!" She got back on the phone. "…Sorry…" And tried to ignore Rikimaru yelling at the back.

Tatsumaru sighted heavily. "…You know… there rarely are thick walls in an apartment building… and I bet I could hear you with out the phone…?"

"So I shouldn't even scream while he's killing me… and I'm not talking about the quality of the sex now…? Honestly, he's loosing it… acting all strange the past week. Misses you probably? Ow…!"

"…The other shoe?"

"Give me the phone and go open the door…!" Tatsumaru heard Rikimaru's voice finally clear.

"Stop it…! …He wants to talk to you…"

"Okay…"

"Leg go of my leg... Idiot…!"

"Hi, Tatsu…" Rikimaru sounded perfectly normal and innocent.

"Stop bashing my cousin, please?"

"…Nah, it's too much fun… And she just loves it… Ow…!" Rikimaru laughed quietly. "Yep, loves me… So… you're not coming?"

"…No… I think I just go to bed…" He heard how Ayame said hello to someone. "…Someone there already?"

"Yeah…"

"Then I won't keep you, I'll see you… on Sunday… How's that?"

"Sure, miss you…"

"…You too, bye" Yes, she had been right, he really sounded somewhat strange.

"Bye…"

Tatsumaru closed the line.

Hitoha was standing in the door way quietly. Tatsumaru couldn't tell what it was that told him to turn around and find the other steering. He could see how Hitoha's face hold great sadness or was he just tired? The moment passed in a blink as Hitoha walked to his room anger glowing in his moves.

Tatsumaru turned back to the phone and thought of what to o about it. Maybe the best thing was to give Hitoha the time he needed. When the time would be right, he would come to him and they would talk away this hate Hitoha had mainly for himself.

Hitoha was quiet now, like living with a ghost, Tatsumaru thought and went to get some sleep.

In other apartment, where Tatsumaru's cousin lived, Oni was soon to be introduced to a weird croup of people.

When he had waited outside the door he thought he had no presumptions of Rikimaru's friends. He had seen her before, the beautiful black haired woman, who lived together with Rikimaru. Now he knew that she was a cop and was succeeding well on her career. But honestly; she was a psychopath just waiting for the next victim to come her way. He knew now he had had some presumptions like meeting the Rikimaru's friends; Goodie, Average, Stoned, Fragile, Innocent and her father Mr. Normal.

The minute she opened the door and the smile vanished from her pretty lips, he knew he was in trouble. A Lesser man might have run as far as he could and all the way to hell to get away from her eyes that could kill. But he was Oni, the evil behind all, so he just smiled and pushed the huge box that contained self made apple pie at her.

Rikimaru was still talking on the phone and judging by the tone he had, it was a boy friend of some sort. Ayame said thanks and suddenly looked behind Oni.

"Oh come on, stop hiding…?" Oni moved away and behind him stood a small girl in her fifteens. She had a short black hair that almost covered her eyes and she wore a dark blue baggy pants and a matching shirt. She looked thin and pale.

"…This is Rin."

"…Hi…" The girl finally spoke.

Ayame shook her hand and something made her smile to that girl for sympathy. "…Hi, I'm Ayame."

"…Hope I'm not intruding…?" She said shyly.

"No…! No, come in…!" Ayame said. "I just take these to kitchen…" She passed Rikimaru and slapped him on the head. Rikimaru nodded to Oni and Rin who he had briefly talked one day.

Rin settled in the living room and started steering the TV that was open. Strange that fifteen year old was interested about the news, Ayame thought as she looked over to there. Was she just steering in to space?

"…You need help…?" Oni had followed her into the kitchen.

"…No, not really…" She took some plates of the shelve. "…Sweet girl, little shy maybe… yours?"

"…Do I look like a dad?" She had the same kind a suggesting tone as did Rikimaru.

Ayame only looked over to his eyes and an understanding silence landed in the kitchen.

"…I'm only thirty…"

"Hmmm… Well she is fifteen, isn't she? …So is she a relative?"

"…Yeah, short of… Right now, I'm the only thing she's got…"

No wonder she's so upset, Ayame thought as Rikimaru came to the room.

"…Sorry, Tatsu ain't coming…"

"Ou, what's keeping him?" Oni asked and a doorbell rang.

"…Um, work…Should I get the door?"

"No, no, I go…" Ayame hurried away.

---

A few hours after; they were watching a movie. Not 'Pirates of the Caribian' because it was a PG night and not 'Snow-white' because it was a PG night so they watched a comedy; 'Alien vs. Predator'. Unfortunately as it was a PG night they couldn't really drink enough for the movie to seem a real movie. Eventually no-one paid attention to what was happening on the screen except Rin, who didn't seem to notice the people around her.

She laid on the floor and leaned to her hands. Gohda sat in an armchair and Kiku was sitting on an arm holder. Oni sat next to Gohda but on the couch, then Dan, Rikimaru, Jin and Ayame.

Gohda and Oni seemed to get along quit well. They had been talking about electronics for sometime. Dan seemed serious as he told Rikimaru something and probably waited an answer to his question. The two men pretended to be watching the movie and hold a private conversation in the middle of the croup. Jin listened Ayame's occasional platter, but what he really listened was the private conversation next to him. Besides Ayame was almost like in another universe. Jin thought she was probably just tired.

Rin looked silently how predator was bashing the alien to pieces in a Smack down style.

"Oh, go get a chair…!" Dan announced in between.

_"You tell me! You are the pyramid expert!"_

No-one spoke at the moment. The conversation had gone dry and not just one but all three. Kiku was sleeping, leaning to her dad's shoulder. Ayame remembered now how Kiku had complained of being so tired and didn't want to come as she wanted to sleep. Guess she really was tired. But she couldn't just call her friend's dad and ask him to join at their little gathering. That would have been too weird.

She still looked at her wannabe little sister dozing off. Now this was really weird still. What was she thinking, Ayame thought to her self. She moved her gaze just a bit to find him looking at the movie, like the rest of the normal people, who weren't daydreaming of single parents.

"…I'm gona refill the plate… Anyone want more vine…?" She said already backing away to the kitchen.

She took the boxes form the freezer and filled the plate thinking to her self as Gohda walked to the kitchen. "Need any help…?"

"Yeah sure, take those over there and put them on the table…" She watched him while she put sandwiches on the plate. "…thanks…"

"…Who's side are you anyway…?" They heard Rikimaru say to Dan in the living room.

Both laughed and Mat started to help her by putting the pies on the other plate.

"What's wrong with everyone…?" She said.

"I dunno… They just seem so tired, what have they done…?"

"…You really wanna know?" She smiled wickedly.

"Ah, maybe not… And that thing you were about to say would also concern my sweet daughter so…"

"Sorry… sorry… You not tired? Slow week?"

"Not really, just used to staying up, I really don't sleep much at night… um because of the work…"

"…Well of course…"

"…You don't seem that tired yourself…?"

"…I have a secret weapon… Coffee and lots of it…"

"That sure works…"

Ayame weighted the wine holder on the table. "…Damn… it's almost empty…" She tried to remember if she or Rikimaru had hid some of the stuff in somewhere.

_"Don't turn your back on me!"_

"What's the time?" Gohda looked at his clock and Ayame looked the clock on the wall behind him. "…Half eleven…" He said.

"Shops aren't open anymore and besides… I'm sure we got something else…" She looked at the freezer.

"…I know a place that's open… We could go by my car…?"

"…How much have you been drinking Mr.?" She leaned closer just as if she was trying to smell the alcohol in his breath.

"…Honestly, officer, just one, small class of wine with bread…?"

"-Just one small class- And now you're looking for some more of it, huh?"

She had a fistful of Mat's shirt in her hand when Oni walked in. "…Sorry kids, am I interrupting some killing here…?"

Ayame leg go and they parted a bit. Before either of the men could start a conversation, she thought to drag Mat out of it. Ayame had already dissuaded she didn't like Oni or she didn't like that he was friends with Rikimaru what ever that meant. "Should we go, so we get there in time…?"

"Yeah… if the officer trusts my driving skills…?"

Rikimaru came to the kitchen. "…Where are you going…?"

"To get some more wine…" Ayame answered. They were already in the hallway putting shoes on.

"Wine? …Okay…?"

The door clanked and they were gone. Rikimaru was pit out of the picture. "…Wine…? At this hour…?"

"…Yep."

"…Where they are going to get it?"

"…Now, when did you become the Mr. Innocent, Rikimaru? …You should have seen them when I came here…"

"…Hey, what's it, your talking about my Ayame now…?"

"And she's got a little fling going on… I doubt it's one sided…" Oni smiled.

Rikimaru picked the plate on his hand and Oni took the other one as they went back to living room.

"But he's Kiku's dad, for god's sake…" Rikimaru continued before they were at the couch.

"…So? …It's not like he would be married or sixty… I don't get what's your problem…?"

Jin looked up from the couch nosy. "Who's married?"

"No-one, idiot…" Dan obviously had a better hearing.

Oni put the plate on the table. "Ayame and Mat went to -get some- …wine."

"What…?!" Jin and Dan said in unison.

Rikimaru sighted and put the plate down sitting to his old place. "…Come on…? Ay… The two together, really…?"

"Yes, impossible…" Jin said. "…On the other hand… him and me…" He continued dreaming.

"Yeah right… What's so wrong with it? Isn't it good that she goes out to… hunt…? Your ass is safe?" Dan pointed out.

_"It's too late, it's inside me"_

"…No, you don't know what short of a things she attracts… besides…"

"Besides what? You are over possessive?" Oni asked whit out a thought.

"Nooo… But, how would they… Who cares why, she's mine and that's that… and you are all too presumptuous…"

Nearly two hours later; Rin was sleeping in Rikimaru's room and the rest were still chatting or gossiping about the certain two. Rin hadn't seen the end of the movie but fallen a sleep on the mat and the boys couldn't pare to watch her sleep on the floor.

"I got this when I fell off my bike… I was twelve… I think" Dan showed his elbow. "Eleven stitches…"

It wasn't such a big scratch that anyone would have said anything special about it. They just sneered acknowledging the mark on his skin.

"…How about you Rikimaru?" Jin asked. "You have never told us where did you get that scar…?" He nodded towards Rikimaru who was playing with an empty class in his hands.

"…Haven't I?" He asked teasing and thinking should he tell or not.

Jin gave back the same and looked the ceiling like if he just tried very hard to remember had he heard the story before. "Nooo… You haven't… I bet it's something very embarrassing, that's why you haven't told us. Like you were drunk and passed out over a coffee table with rough edges… am I right?"

"…Yeah, that sounds like me, doesn't it… I was sixteen, when it happened. Ayame was fourteen."

Rikimaru's voice told it was a difficult to tell this and Jin, Dan and Oni listened carefully. They could saw that he was in a line to spoke or not to.

"…She had this friend in the orphanage, who, we thought, was too old to be adopted. Ayame felt guilty that she got into a good family and he had to stay… Eventually we found out that it wasn't his age that prevented his adoption… He was… tough child to handle and his dad was in jail for a man slaughter, well like father like son… He met the wrong kind of people and became a gang member… We… were young and foolish and tried to help him, but truth to be said, he was just using us… He was like a brother… to us… Well, anyhow…"

Rikimaru sighted not wanting to get caught in the moment. "…One night he called her and told he was in trouble… I probably wouldn't have gone if he'd called me, but I couldn't let her go alone… and thank god she called me… He had a friend with him who had his eye on her and he was twenty, that sick bastard… Ayame was barely fifteen…!" The memory made Rikimaru so angry he just had to stop for a second until he could continue.

Flashback

Ayame was the first to open the storage hall door and to step in. "…Gin!? …What's the matter? Why's he here?" She sounded worried, not for herself but for Gin who had just turned eighteen and been kicked out from the shelter.

Gin didn't have the time to answer as Rikimaru came in from the same door. Gin's vicious grin melted a bit. "…Why did you drag him along, stupid…!? Didn't I tell you not to take him with you…?!"

Ayame looked totally clueless and was about to ask Gin what a hell was going on when the older man rose form the table and stumped his cigarette. "Don't you get it?" He was talking mostly to Gin. "He wants to get his share too…" He looked like an authority because of his height and certainty brought by the older age. Gin in the other hand wasn't that certain anymore and nervously eyed Rikimaru who yet hadn't had the time to realize what the two had in mind.

"…Right?" The man said towards Rikimaru and then by a quick jerk grabbed her hair. She winched but hit the man who didn't much budge and slapped her hard on her face. The world spun around in her head by the force of the strike and she tasted blood in her mouth. She felt how she flew backwards against the wall and saw how the same man that had hit her easily pushed Rikimaru away from him, avoiding his fists.

Gin stepped on Rikimaru's way. "Wo-hou Rikimaru…!" He had a gun which he directed to Rikimaru's chest.

"You, leg go of her!" Rikimaru pointed the man furiously. He was holding her jaw and neck against the wall with one hand and looked smugly over Rikimaru.

"Didn't you hear what I said…?!"

Gin stopped him again from going to free Ayame. "Listen Rikimaru…! Hey…?!"

Ayame was between this world and another as the older man came closer to her.

"Look at me now Rikimaru, hey!" Gin waved his gun around. Rikimaru gritted his teeth and stepped a bit back but wouldn't take his eyes of the man, hoping that a looks would kill as the man started molesting her by one hand as the other hold her still.

"Now Rikimaru, I owe to this guy, he said he was going to kill me if I wouldn't pay the bill…"

"Put the gun away Gin…! How can you…!? God!!"

The man laughed as he slowly kissed her face. "…She is pretty, don't you think…?" Ayame winched in discomfort broking of Gin who was just about to say something to Rikimaru.

The gun trop off his hand and he received a strong fist in his jaw. This didn't knock him out because it was half blocked. Ayame used the opportunity she got and kicked the man between the legs by her knee. Ayame trop on the floor and hold her throat while the man walked round shouldered cursing the whole time. Gin was gone suddenly and Rikimaru and the older man got into a fight.

It was a tough match and the older man didn't like it all that he was loosing his fight to a boy.

Ayame started to rose up and saw how the man took a knife, tied to his ankle. There was no way Rikimaru could have seen him take it. She yelled a warning to him but it was too late as the blade swung in his direction.

The blade didn't cut his throat thanks to her but scratched his right eye and a blood line splattered the floor in red spots.

The man reached for the knife but Rikimaru kick him down before he fell from his feet him self. He laughed as he noticed it and went back on to get the knife, crawling on the floor. What he didn't see was that the girl was mad with anger and anxiously attacked the man form behind.

She was hysterical and nearly scratched his eyes out. Eventually she got a hold of the knife first as Rikimaru tripped the man on his face. In between all that the older man got his own knife on his back and well unconscious.

"…Rikimaru?" Dan asked, waking him from the memories.

"…We kinda saved one another… someone had called for police, maybe it was Gin, all thought we haven't seen him since…"

"Did the man die…?" Dan asked.

"No… But he limps now days…" Rikimaru grinned trying to sheer up the general mood in the living room. "Who's next…?"

"I got one…" Jin said and lifted his shirt a bit to show a barely visible mark on his flat stomach. "…I got this when my appendix was operated… Yes I know, my life is full of excitement and danger, thank you…"

Oni lift up the sleeve of his left arm as Jin was finished. "…I was making a statue out of wood and the chainsaw jumped a little… Nearly cut off my hand…"

Dan looked at the scar and wrinkled his nose. "Nice… How many?"

"Twenty one… Not that it would compete with that…" Oni said meaning Rikimaru's scar.

Rikimaru smiled back, he had never told him the story about the scar over his face even they'd crown so close. "…You got tattoos enough to make you recognisable…"

Jin looked interested. "Really? …How many?"

"Oh… One big and a couple of small ones…"

"He's got a cool dragon in his ankle…" Rikimaru grinned.

Jin and Dan looked puzzled.

Oni seemed beaten as Rikimaru tried not to laugh too much. "Come on, you can show it to them…Oni?"

Oni pulled his black sock down and lifts up the leg of the pants. "…Everybody, meet the Puff, magic dragon…" Under the fabric revealed a bright yellow dragon lined by black ink, it was sitting on a slight blue cloud and smiled friendly curling over the cloud and under it formed a wavy text; Puff, the magic dragon.

The two were speechless. The dragon didn't fit at all to Oni's style looks. "…It seemed a good idea at the time, thought I can not be sure, you see I don't remember taking the whole tattoo at all…"

"…So you have thought to get rid of it?" Dan asked still gazing at the weird unity.

"Well yeah, but then somebody told me it was sexy…"

"Ever thought the person in question might have been fooling you?"

"Or maybe he had strange… fondness…? No offence…" Jin said.

"Non taking…" He grinned looking at Rikimaru who wouldn't agree to look back at him, but smiled mildly knowing who exactly Oni meant.

Right then the door opened, Ayame and Gohda coming in and carrying bags. "I put these in the kitchen…" Gohda's voice said.

"Okay…" She answered happily and peaked in the living room. "Hi… What have you been doing while we were out?"

"…Oh nothing much…" Jin said lazily. "Just a little chatter under the topic; scars and tattoos. You got any?"

"No, I live safely…"

"Yeah sure…" Rikimaru made a face. "Wasn't it last week when you tackled one bag snatcher through a window?"

"Really…?" Oni asked a bit terrified. "How come you look so intact?"

"Well…" She started.

"She does that quite a lot, kinda expert in it…" Rikimaru said and Ayame grabbed his hair to make him shut up.

"…I got lucky… and I didn't land on glass splinters on the asphalt… the other one did…" She went to kitchen where Gohda still was. Rikimaru saw the faces that stayed in the living room. "Yeah… Sometimes she scares me too…"

Ayame was surprised to see Mat still in the kitchen looking for a clean glasses.

"Over there…" She pointed him a closet.

"Thanks…" He took the glasses from there and put them on table. "I've been wondering… should I bring it up or not… After all, you are kind of a… friend of my daughter and it sounds so bad, I mean not like I wouldn't want you to be friends with her, that's fine, more than fine, but… I know I'm older and… I have baggage with me, but I'm not that much older, I think I'm not? And I think that… you are nice and might think I'm nice too... Well… I guess I will have to eventually ask this, so here it comes…?"

"Okay…"

"…Would you like to go out with me sometime…?"

"Hmm, yes, I would like that very much…"

"…Good…" Mat felt relieved that she didn't think him as a dirty old man or just otherwise un-datable person. He just smiled back to her.

In the living room Kiku was waking up. "…Where's dad?" She stretched herself in the armchair.

"In kitchen…" Rikimaru said carelessly.

As she was on her way, Oni said with a low voice. "…Sure that's a vice idea… Let her walk in on them?"

Rikimaru rolled his eyes and hurried to catch Kiku's trail. "…Oh come on people… Wait for me Kiku…" He got to the kitchen before her and saw Gohda waiting for Ayame to fill the classes.

Rikimaru stayed at the doorframe as Kiku walked past him and to his dad side.

"Morning, Sleeping beauty…" Mat said and pleased Kiku's hair.

"…I wanna go home… to sleep…"

Ayame looked the girl between her and Mat. "…Still tired?"

Kiku sighted her yes and continued. "…Can we go…?"

"…Sure… if you are that tired…"

"I wasn't coming at the first place…" She mumbled as she walked to hallway to get her shoes.

Gohda went after her. "What a good mood she's in…"

The silent babble of the two could be heard at the kitchen as the father and the daughter talked about something. Ayame was still smiling as she stopped filling the classes. "…What?" She saw Rikimaru standing quietly in the door way and looking at her like in a search of something.

"What are you smiling about, girl?" He walked next to her.

"It's just a one stupid thing…"

"Tell me…?"

"No, I don't think so… I might tell you later…maybe…"

"You know… I told them about how I got this…"

"…Okay?"

"Is it…?"

She smiled and put her arm to his shoulder. "…Yes, besides you deserve the credit for saving me, it nearly cost you your eye… and it was long time ago." She smiled again. "…What would I do with out you…Huh?"

They hugged and it remembered her about that night in the storage building where they had sat on the floor when the police game. The bleeding of his eye had already stopped, but either one of them couldn't leave and get help. To leave other one there when the bleeding man on the floor might have wake up or Gin might have come back. He had pulled her in his arms and didn't let her go until he knew it was safe. The experience had tied them together and the tie lasted trough the years, nothing could make a crack between them then or now.

"…At least then you would have to go out to get some…" He smiled and she pulled his hair so that this time it hurt. "Ou!"

"You sick, ugly bastard, one thing only in mind and only for ever…! My ass would be in a lot better safe whit out you…!" Ayame hissed and finally legs go of his short back hair.

"Violence is not the answer… to your brain…!" Rikimaru rubbed his scalp face winched.

She took the tray and headed to living room, but nearly ran over to Oni who was coming to kitchen.

"Oh, sorry… Let me take that…" Ayame gave him the tray as it almost already was over his shirt.

Gohda was talking something with Jin and Dan on the living room. He was holding his jacket in his hand and Kiku was sleeping in the hallway, leaning onto a wall.

Mat refused the vine put others excepted. "…Well we have to drink it, don't we?" Jin said smugly. "Because it took you two so long to get it…"

"Please, help your self with the ch-joking, Jin…" Ayame noted.

Rikimaru joined the rest of the croup. "…Still talking about the scars here are you? Didn't we already agree that I won?"

"Scars?" Gohda asked.

"Yep, you got any…?"

"Well only one… that actually shows… I won't show it, would have to take my shirt off…"

Jin took a big swig of the glass he was holding so that he wouldn't just say anything stupid.

"Let's say we'll believe your word…" Oni said. "Is it big?"

"Not really… It goes over here… to here…" He trailed his left arm all the way up to his shoulder and down the backside to his waist. "I had a tattoo and I wanted to get rid of it… And the cheapest way was to do it myself…"

"What… so you scarred your self?!" Jin was shocked. "Why? It couldn't be that ugly…?"

Oni was mildly surprised. "So, you were in a gang?"

Gohda admitted it a bit shamed of himself. "Yeah… I didn't want any trouble to her… I get rid of it for good…" He looked over to the hallway and saw Kiku slipping from the wall. "…Okay, it was nice to meet you all, see you sometime…" He hurried to catch her daughter and gave an extra wide smile to Ayame, who secretly smiled him back.

Thought only thing Rikimaru saw was Gohda's grin towards her and screaming warning sign that said; ex gang member.

In no time the rest of them were leaving. Oni carried sleeping Rin to his car and Dan left with Jin as all ways. They wanted to walk even thought Oni offered a lift.

He looked at the rear-view mirror and saw them straggling on wards the street. Rin sighted in her sleep and he gave a look over her in the front seat. She seemed to continue her sleep. So Oni had all the space in the car to think how confused he felt after the friendly little gathering. Maybe it wasn't confusion but anger spiced with frustration.

He had heard Ayame and Rikimaru talking in the kitchen and felt terribly jealous. Rikimaru would probably never let him get that close as Ayame was to him. Why did everything seem like a mess in now days, he thought and again looked over Rin. Maybe he'd just drive her home and get his brain flat with some tequila he had in safe place. Or had he drank it already, he wondered and crew irritated even more of the thought that he would actually have to drag his ass to a bar.

Across the town Tatsumaru thus and turn restlessly in his bed. He had slept a few hours but waken and couldn't let him self sleep again in peace. It was just the one hour you shouldn't be awake to be able to sleep trough rest of the night.

He heard someone moving in the living room and raised his head up to see who it was. Still he failed to see was it Hitoha who moved there or had they left the door open. The thing bothered him more and more second after another and as he was already clearly awake it was all the same if he went to check upon it. The clock was only half one a.m. he noticed.

The apartment was dark like before as Tatsumaru walked on. The living room was empty at the first sight until Hitoha's figure came from the kitchen and stopped somewhere in the middle of the room as he spotted Tatsumaru. It was somewhat awkward situation considering they had been avoiding each other for couple of weeks.

"…I thought I left the door open and someone had come to rob us…" Tatsumaru said. "Sorry…" He waved his hand and thought to get back to his room.

"…Sorry if I waked you…"

Tatsumaru was surprised to hear Hitoha speak to him. His voice seemed familiar but distant to remember.

"No, no… I was already awake…" He said and went to his room. Maybe it wasn't the best time of the day to talk a man you fancied when both of you were already half naked and the judgement was blurred by the sleepiness. Maybe he could read a book, Tatsumaru thought hoping it would make him dose off.

Something made a sound near his door and he turned around, it was Hitoha.

"…What's the matter…?" Tatsumaru asked putting a book away.

Slowly Hitoha took steps towards Tatsumaru. "…I …I couldn't sleep…"

Tatsumaru moved away as Hitoha tried to reach him. "…Hitoha, don't…"

The boy looked confused. "…What…?" His voice seemed so thin and bleeding.

"Don't do this to your self again…" Tatsumaru's tone was completely the opposite.

Hitoha walked closer to the other. "…It doesn't matter…"

"In the morning it does…you'll feel different…"

"…You care really…" He smiled nervously and made a pass at him.

Tatsumaru pushed his hand away with a one simple move. "Yes, I do care, Hitoha… I don't want you to feel bad."

"It's not your business to worry my feelings…"

"But it is when we are living under the same roof… I just can't take your hate everyday trough the weeks, until you dissuade to come to me for a one night and then won't even look at me in the eye…! Can you think of how that makes me feel…?"

"…I promise…"

"Don't… promise… Please, leave me alone, we'll talk in the morning…"

"…What's this…? First you…" Hitoha's voice broke but it was more out of anger than hurt. "And then, you'll start judging me, like you'd be any better than I am…! You started this! It was you and now I… I don't know a thing anymore… I hate… you…! …I move out…" He said little surprised of himself and rushed out his door closing with a loud bang after him.

Tatsumaru stayed in his own room. God damn, he thought, the boy really knew how to push his buttons. He wanted to explode in the place he stood, scream his head of and spread all over the walls of his room. He was so angry he thought his teeth were going to split in any second if he wouldn't get a hold of him self. He took a deep breath and thought what Rikimaru would do in a situation like this.

After a moment he thought, of course he would go and get laid. Except that Rikimaru was busy with his friends and Hitoha was the reason of his irritation and thinking it further neither one of them actually fit the mood he was in. He needed to get used, feel used, be something he hadn't been in a some time. In times he felt so guilty, he needed to be punished.

He got an idea that felt very good at the moment; He would get in a bar, get slightly tipsy and look for the biggest asshole in there and go to his place. Yes, that sounded like a plan.

In the other apartment Oni was looking into a empty tequila bottle. There actually had been a trop on the bottom but he'd drink it and it didn't feel like enough. Now he really needed to go out and get some more. Maybe he would get lucky and some bum would drug him, get him to his private alley and fuck him up thoroughly.


	14. Unplanned coincidences

**Urban theory; chapter 14** Unplanned coincidences

Oni lighted a cigarette as he walked out of the bar, happily smiling, all most able to walk straight line. There was a queue all the way to the next block. People were dying to get in and a moment ago Oni had been dying to get away from the bar bench were some guy couldn't stop bad mouthing his wife. He really didn't need anymore of that relationship crab. Absently he took a look over the people in line and came to a conclusion that it wasn't a place for someone like himself. Why the hell had he gone there in the first place!? Well, it had called for him to pay a visit and it seemed like a place that easy-to-screw-around-people went.

But tequila had wind Oni around its self and after a moment he noticed that the people were actually too-easy-to-screw-around-people, and wasn't really interested anymore.

There was a lamppost on which he leaned. He put his other hand in the pocket of his baggy jeans and sighted out a long breath, watching the smoke curl up to the sky. Oh, yes, he remembered. He couldn't see if it was cold enough for his breath to show in the air, because he was smoking. How stupid of him, he laughed mentally as he thought he wasn't drunk enough to do it out loud, alone in the street. But in reality he guessed he was.

Who ever said that fast-food wasn't good for you, he thought. Take a hamburger for example. It had green stuff, meat and bread and all that conveniently in a same baggage. Honestly, it had to be some kind of a conspiracy and pizza only proofed his point correct. The same thing with nightlife, it was refreshing, sometimes even limit braking, psychiatric and overall freeing experiment. How could people say it was bad for you to party all night long like a clueless animal on it's way to Bethlehem by the alcohol smoothed road? God damn if life could be all ways as simple and lovely.

But it couldn't, could it? There was always a hell of a Monday waiting around the next turn that forced the primates to do some work to get an apple or two.

His smile was eaten by the sarcasm that lived deep inside his brain and he took a long breath from the cigarette. He didn't smoke very often, but when he did, he wanted to make the most of it. Sad thought crept in to his mind and he eyes the burning scroll of paper between his fingers. Will I remember this tomorrow, he thought. Nah, he was clearly clearing up, by the way his thoughts seemed clearer. Or was the tequila just playing cat and mouse with him?

Who cared really, like he had something to loose. Oni leaned the back of his head against the cold lamppost and looked up the sky. Oh fuck, was his high getting mild already? His none so clear thoughts changed the subject as he notice a big, white and glooming dot on the sky. Was it already time for full moon, he hadn't thought it to be so soon. Was it the moon, the glow was more red than a white or silvery? Now that he thought of it the light phenomenon looked a lot like an eye.

Self mocking chuckle and a grin across his face he shook his head. Right, there was a big red eye on the sky steering at him. But then he looked up once more and turned to some extent serious. There was something fascinating about the sky and the moon and the whole atmosphere. He wanted to paint something like that. Something so obvious and dull, could it be interesting? What was the time he looked for his clock and realized he had left it home. Suddenly he wanted to go home and see what kind of an artist Mr. Tequila would be.

"Ouh…! Bloody… stupid… me…!" Oni threw away the cigarette that was burning his fingers. Lazily he wiped away the ashes.

Tatsumaru was walking towards a certain nightclub he had all ways wanted to go but hadn't got the guts to. Spooky people spend their time in there or not spooky just people who didn't see further than their own nose and were somewhat certain that their nose was the best in town. Tatsumaru didn't need up class people around him to put him down at his place. He sighted heavily as he saw the long line of people freezing while they waited to get in. Just his luck, he couldn't even be self destructive anymore.

Anyhow, Tatsumaru thought to walk at the end of the line. Maybe it really was moving, even thought it didn't seem to be doing that from looking at this point. He heard someone curse and noticed a guy leaning on a lamppost. At first Tatsumaru didn't pay much attention to him but then the man hurriedly looked at him starting the sentence already when he was still speaking to his shirt.

"Do you… know what the time is…?"

Tatsumaru stopped and turned to look at him. Strange looking guy, he thought, but fixed the adjective to more flattering when had the time to take it all in what he was seeing. Brilliant, he had found his future abuser. "Um…" It seemed to take for ever for Tatsumaru to realize that he had to look at the time from his watch. "…It's all most one in the morning…"

God damn these stupid models, Oni thought but couldn't help to notice that everything was in their right places in him. "…Only one? Hmmm…"

"Yeah… well…"

Oni looked away rolling his eyes amused and thought; well not everything. Better not wait this to turn into a witty conversation.

"It's pretty late to get in… Does the line move at all?" Tatsumaru didn't probably even himself notice that he was twirling from one foot to another, hands in his pockets.

"Nope." Oni smiled cheekily. "…That sucks eh?" Oni was afraid he was going to hear praise for how grand the shit hole was and was mildly surprised when all he got was a lousy yeah.

"…I just wanted to see what it looked like. I have never been there…"

"So why are you talking to me and doing that sell-off show? You think I'm VIP?"

Tatsumaru was little out of the loop and wasn't sure what the other had meant by the 'sell-off-show'. "…er? …You talked to me, remember…?"

"Oh… Maybe so…" Okay, maybe he wasn't being very nice, surprise, surprise, Oni thought and could sense him wanting to back off. For now Oni had completely forgotten his plans for painting. "You wanna get in?"

"…um yeah…" This was getting confusing.

"Come on then sweetheart…" He managed to hold a perfectly flat voice as he walked towards the entrance. "Are you coming or not?" And got Tatsumaru following him little bit uncertain thought.

The bouncer moved the robe to let Oni walk in and Tatsumaru following as Oni winked at the man. "He's with me."

---

Nine hours later the clock was exactly 10:11 a.m. in Tatsumaru's room. Someone drop a plate on the floor and according to the sound it broke. About a minute later Oni woke up.

He realized after giving it a moment of thought that he wasn't in his home or around in anyone's home he'd know. But he knew for certain that he was in someone's home that was sleeping in a same bed with him, twined his, not so slender hands around his torso and in half sleeping over him. If Oni would even think of sneaking out the other would wake up. Oni sighted deep trying to get ready for what challenges might the morning hold for him now.

He remembered being angry and a bit of self-destructive last night. He had even gone to that lame teen-age bar that he had somehow managed to get a VIP pass. What Oni couldn't remember was who he had met, who had he talked to, who had he played with? He was afraid to open his eyes and see what had dragged him home. Somehow he felt exhausted to deal with people right now. He was too old for bed hopping or not, maybe just too old to meet new people. I should have left when I still was pissed off my mind, Oni thought and slowly peaked under his eye lids to see what short of an cave he was in.

It didn't look like to be a room of someone under aged, which was good. The room was quite tidy, he noticed. Actually every book and folder he had on shelved was perfectly lined. Walls were clean and out of posters or paintings. Nothing did bulge out of his assumed to be closet for clothes. On a writing table next to the bed were laptop and a few papers. The person wasn't under aged, presumably he, was under minded vegetable, who in sober was homophobic. Oni looked down at his chest and found out that he-who-ever-he-was had a similar black hair as he had himself.

Oni moved a bit to make the other move his weight. Tatsumaru grunted in his sleep and moved upper over the bed resting his jaw over Oni's shoulder. Oni looked at him gasping breath and mentally screaming. How he could have slept with that, he wondered all most honestly shocked. The stupid model-boy who just was way too perfect to breathe! Too fucking pretty to touch, because you couldn't decide which part did you want to treasure and whit out neglecting the other perfect parts of him. In other words; too fucking dull, doll-faced doll. He really was at the bottom now, wasn't he?

He looked again at the sleeping face and thought, oh well, things could be worse. Come to think of it, it was a shame that he couldn't remember much of last night. Had 'last night' even happened? He looked for recognition of some short of Tatsumaru's face, but nothing came to his mind. When he was puzzling his name up, Tatsumaru woke up slowly.

Tatsumaru yawned and stared right ahead of him which happened to be in Oni's eyes. After a moment Tatsumaru realized the eyes were actually a person in his bed and as it happened Tatsumaru was also suffering of a sudden memory loss. "Oh… um good morning?"

"…morning…?" Nature of this conversation, if you could call it that, was reminding him of something he felt like he didn't need to remember.

"…What's the time?"

"Something over ten a.m.…"

"…You slept… well?"

"…Yeah… Thanks for letting me stay…?" Was the guy for real, Oni thought?

"No… problem… I guess… you were already in my bed… so…"

"So, you don't remember anything either?"

"…Umm…" Tatsumaru shook his head and smiled shyly, little bothered by the situation, he didn't know why.

Both looked away from each other, not sure now what had they forgotten. Silence was unbearable and it had taken over the whole flat. Only their breathing echoed in their own ears. How the situation was so complicated all of a sudden, both of them thought in secret. It was like two strangers sitting next to each other in a bus and nothing to say except the question if the seat was free and a feeling that you should still say something for not to be rude. There were a lot of questions in the air. Were the bus really so full that the other had to sit next to him? Or was the other just a pervert who had his eye on him? Why did he have his eye on him? Or was it completely the other way around? Except this was nothing like a daily ride in a bus. If it would have been there certainly should have been some clothes involved instead of a bed that had started to feel too narrow.

"So it's like… It would have never happened?" Oni asked assuming the other one wasn't very keen to try a rematch.

"…Yeah… I guess it is, it never happened…?"

Tatsumaru didn't want to get up first. His clothes were across the floor and he felt shy and uncertain of some reason. What had he dragged in, he lectured him self. He was supposed to be over and above this certain type, but obviously it still appealed him. Truth to be said, Tatsumaru thought, he was quite handsome, in rough, weird kind of a way.

"I should be heading towards home…"

"…O-kay…?" Tatsumaru couldn't believe he had led out an open question in the air, he really hadn't meant to do so or had he? Hopefully the other would just ignore it. Oni rose up from the bed and started dressing up. Tatsumaru pretended to be sighting in relief behind his back.

Oni threw a look over Tatsumaru's gaze and Tatsumaru realized he was being silly for looking. The guy could only blame himself, Tatsumaru thought, for having a book printed all over his body or so Tatsumaru kept telling himself. He rose up taking the bed cover with him and walked to another room that obviously was just a big a closet for clothe storing.

Oni got his clothes on pretty quickly but noticed that Tatsumaru had already left from his cupboard and was probably somewhere in the flat in which Oni didn't know where the door that led outside was. Great, all he needed to feel more embarrassed was to walk in a cleaning closet.

Tatsumaru had walked into kitchen to get a moment to kill him self a little, when he noticed Hitoha having breakfast there. "Morning…!" Tatsumaru tried cheerfully but it came out sounding guilty as a fox in hen house.

Little confused Hitoha swallowed the piece he was chewing as if he wasn't sure were they in terms of speaking to each other or not. "…Morning…?" He grunted not so cheerful, but sounding also somewhat guilty. Tatsumaru walked to get a class and some water when Oni came to the kitchen door. Hitoha stared at him eyes wide like there would have been something really strange about him. No-one would have liked to be looked at as if you'd forgotten to put your pants on at least of all Oni, who was pretty sure he had done the garment in question just a second ago.

"Good morning…" He answered trough out faking bullshit happiness in his voice. Thank god, I didn't wake up next to the little brother, he thought, because he clearly is so under aged.

Hitoha looked away over his meal. "M-morning…"

Tatsumaru ignored the thing whatever had been going on there. "…You forget something?"

"Yeah… Kinda…" Oni mentioned by a finger that he should come closer. Hitoha couldn't believe this was happening and fought against himself not to run out of the kitchen, his heard razing like wild horse.

"Which way… is the door?" Oni asked silently enough for Hitoha not to hear it.

"…There…" Tatsumaru pointed the door behind Oni's back.

"Okay thanks…" He felt like he should have still said something or done something. The atmosphere was more unpleasant than wet tricot you were trying to get in to. He cleared at his throat moving the

ball to Tatsumaru.

"I'll walk you to it…" He said.

At the door they hardly even looked at each other and said a quick bye and that was that. Oni took his cell phone from the pocket of his jacket and called him self a taxi. Morning had been shitty enough for it not to be crowned by a long walk home from god knew where.

Tatsumaru sighted leaning to the door. He took a look towards the kitchen and somehow sensed that Hitoha was still there. He would have rather not Hitoha to find out about his night guest.

"Sorry about that…" Tatsumaru said pouring himself a cup of coffee and sitting next to the table.

Hitoha didn't know how to respond so he stayed silent. Until he was sure Tatsumaru was going to continue on some other subject. "I have to leave for a couple of days…"

"Oh?"

"It's just that I found a place to study and I'm going to go and familiarize in the place before I move in. That standard stuff, you know…"

"That's great… "

Hitoha rose from his seat to put plate and a cup in the sink. "I'll leave my things here for a while, is that okay? But you can start to look for a new tenant…"

"You sure you'll be staying there then? …It's hard to find a tenant at this time of year, so you can keep the room as long as you like."

"Sure… Thanks…" Hitoha left hurriedly from the kitchen. Tatsumaru stayed not sure what to do.

---

Oni got home, put his jacket on the rack and heard that TV was on. "Rin?" He shouted walking into the living room. The TV was on and playing Saturday's cartoons. Behind the sofa and on the floor laid Rin, completely focused to what was on.

"Hey…?" He kneeled down next to her but she just looked at the screen. After some time she finally looked over him briefly noting that he was there.

"You had breakfast?"

Rin took an empty cup from the floor where apparently had been full of cocoa and showed it to him. He took the cup. "You want me to make… pancakes?"

She twined a pang of her hair around her finger and thought it for a moment. "Omelette… with… tomato and cheese."

He was happy that she talked even a little. When he had picked her up from the station she hadn't spoke anything for days. "Okay…" He sighted rising up.

"You don't smell like your self…" She suddenly said and he turned around surprised. "Take a shower. I don't want my omelette to taste like that…"

He grinned wondering how a single line could brighten up the day so quickly. "Yes, my lady…"

---

Tatsumaru was alone in the home and the clock was passing twelve p.m. Hitoha had left and Tatsumaru had sunk in to a world of self search. He tried to start doing some work because his work was something that kept him focused and certain of him self. But now it didn't seem to be working for him. He got an awful anxiety attack and ended up steering the leafless tree behind his third floor window.

What had he done, he grabbed his hair. This morning had been a small nightmare for him and he couldn't even begin to think how it had effected on Hitoha. Had the boy really wound a place to study or had he just wanted to get out soon as possible? Where would he go, all alone in a big, cold city? Maybe he should go and look for him or call him.

But on the other hand, what did he know about his tenant for real? Hitoha might be just fine. He really might have a place to study in. This didn't ease of the weight at all he noticed. It was impossible to even think about doing any work now and he closed the laptop.

Tatsumaru took a look over his bed that was neatly made and under the coverlet were new clean sheets. He pictured the bed spread open like it had been this morning, that strange guy and him, having sex. Somehow he couldn't grasp the image. He closed his eyes and tried again, memorising his tattoos, but couldn't remember what kind of tattoos those were. Maybe if he'd focus very carefully, he could remember something.

Wait, did he want to do this? Did he want to remember something that never happened? Tatsumaru opened his eyes and took a better position on the chair. He looked at his cell phone on the on the writing desk and considered to call or not to call. He picked it up thinking what would he say when it suddenly rang. To his surprise it was Hitoha calling.

"Azuma…" Tatsumaru decided to answer the phone like he didn't knew it was Hitoha calling.

"Hi Tatsumaru, its me… Hitoha…?"

"…Ou hi…" He felt stupid now for pretending. "…Did you… forget something?" Now he sounded cold and that wasn't his intention. He had hurt the boy enough.

"I-I'm not sure… Could you do me a favour…?"

"Sure, what?"

"Go to my room and see if there's a… blue box on the table…?"

Tatsumaru was little disappointed, but still went to have a look. "…Hold on a sec…" Why couldn't he be calling for him to come and pick him up from hitchhiking that was far too dangerous for a boy of his age? God knew what short of men were out in these days, or maybe Tatsumaru knew after this morning's awakening.

"So… Where are you?" He asked camouflaging it to be a careless question as he stood in the doorway of Hitoha's room looking to an empty table.

"At the train station."

"A blue box, did you say…?"

"Yeah…"

"Where did you say again... it was?"

"…On the table. It might not be, I just wanted to know if I got it with me or… not…"

"…I can't see it, so it must be with you… Or you wanna come and look for your self?"

"Um… no, no… I just…" Hitoha was quiet and Tatsumaru could hear fuss off trains coming and leaving. So Hitoha really was leaving to somewhere. "I don't have the time to get it and… it probably is in my other bag so don't worry…"

"You never said where this place you were going on to study…is?"

"It's on the country… about 300 km's from town… I did, actually know that the box was with me… or well, I don't really have a blue box…" Hitoha sighted in the end.

"…I truly am sorry about this morning, Hitoha. It was inconsiderate of me to drag other people along, especially when I promised to confront you in the morning. …I just couldn't take it anymore…" Tatsumaru bite his tong, he hadn't meant to build a pressure over the other.

"I know…" Hitoha said surprising Tatsumaru.

Tatsumaru listened his own thoughts for a moment. "So you are really going to study…?"

"It's all boys' school… but I don't know will I be staying…" For a moment it seemed like Hitoha would have liked to say something else. "…About last night?" He said suddenly sounding like he would have been talking about going to fish market.

Tatsumaru was afraid of this. "What about it…?" He asked as toneless as he could.

"When I came to you… thank you for, not letting me stay, it would have been a mistake…"

"Only because you're not in terms with your self… well, and because I'm too old for you…"

"That's not what I meant… not exactly…" Hitoha got Tatsumaru quiet and wondering. "Last night…"

Hitoha continued with quieter voice. "I was so mad at you… and when you got home with him…"

Hitoha continued speaking but Tatsumaru's hearing stopped working as his mind concentrated to process the information. "Wait…Wait… You saw…us?"

"Umm… Not quite, I heard you… trough the wall…"

Tatsumaru could hear embarrassment in Hitoha's voice and wondered how it could be so catchy trough a phone.

"Anyhow, when I saw him this morning I realized, we could never be like that…"

"Like how?"

"…I'd so want to hear you say those things to me, make you sound so… touchable… I want you to feel with me what you felt with him…"

"And how was, I mean is, that…?" Tatsumaru's speech was beginning to falter and he tried not to clear his throat too loudly.

"Not guilty for starters…" Hitoha hesitated. "But I can't, I'm not ready, I doubt I'll ever be… I'm just not like that… Listen, I gotta go, the train is coming… um, bye." He hanged the phone before Tatsumaru got a change to say anything.

Stupidly Tatsumaru stared at the phone in his hand. Had that conversation just happened as it suddenly felt all most as unreal as his night? And about the night, that wasn't anymore as unreal as he would have liked it to be. Oh no, he thought and buried his face in his palms.

Now he wanted get that boy off the train, off the station and get him home. What was it that made him want to love him to pieces right now? They could make it work or not, but Tatsumaru was willing to give the boy a change by the way he'd been talking on the phone. He'd sounded so mature. Not like a whining kid that Hitoha sometimes seemed to be. But what he had meant by the last thing he'd said, Tatsumaru thought.

Knowing quite well from experience what went on in the boys head, he was afraid he knew the answer. But he knew Hitoha was, like that and he himself probably knew it too. How could he make him admit it?

---

It was five p.m. and Tatsumaru was sleeping on his sofa when his phone rang. It was Rikimaru calling.

"Hello…?"

"I need to come…"

"Where?" Tatsumaru asked stupidly.

"…In you."

"Ou… Right…" There was considering silence.

About twenty minutes later his doorbell rang and when he went to open the door Rikimaru was there, leaning to a wall and looking pored. Tatsumaru stepped out half out of his doorway and looked at him in question. He had expected a little warmer visitor. "What…?" Tatsumaru asked.

"Are you all ways such a turn-on on the phone? Your silence worries me."

Tatsumaru sighted and suggested him to get in. "…Sorry, I had a weird day…"

Rikimaru went in if not a little sullen and put his jacket off. "Is it about…?"

"Hitoha? He's not home…" Tatsumaru pulled the door close and stepped closer to Rikimaru who innocently waited for him.

"…You wanna talk about it?" He asked as Tatsumaru's fingers crept over his stomach.

"You going to spend the night here?" He grabbed Rikimaru's collar wrinkling it up and got him smiling. Tatsumaru was acting strange.

"…If you want?"

"Good… Then I can talk to you in the morning…" He said and started pulling Rikimaru into his bedroom when he protested.

"Hey, wait now a minute…! Didn't you got that lovely, fluffy mat in your living room…?"

"…I just had it cleaned about a week ago…?"

"So we have the whole flat to ourselves and… you wanna do it in your bedroom?"

"Yeah well um… I don't wanna make a mess…?" Tatsumaru looked over Rikimaru bleeding him just to give up and fallow him and so he did. "Call me old-fashioned…"

Mumbling out a few words he let Tatsumaru drag him to his master bedchamber. "…Sometimes, Tatsu… You seem like a pretty, little house-wife…"


	15. Evidence boxes

**Urban theory; Chapter 15**Evidence boxes

Again was a new week of work beginning. In Rikimaru's case the word 'work' at the moment meant industrial cleaning. And the words 'industrial' and 'cleaning' meant in short; sometimes very shitty job that no-one should be willing to do in such a miniature salary.

But Rikimaru didn't care. Actually the job had it good sides too. Like some days you didn't have to do much and this was that kind of a day. He only had to sweep the little floor of three little storage halls where little heavy armoury like tractors and lifters were kept. Well maybe there was a quite a lot of sand.

Clock was ten in the morning as Rikimaru had almost finished with the first storage. He leaned to the brush and looked over his handy work. It was a shame that he could only see the dark grey tractor bucket in front of his nose. Maybe he should still go around and see that he hadn't forgotten some corner.

He had been working since seven a.m. if he kept his phase it would be five p.m. before he would get his work done. He looked under a tractor and notice he had missed a spot. Honestly the job was great. He didn't have sit in a stuffy office and become all woody. Besides as he dangled ten hours with the brush it certainly was a good exercise. Not that he hadn't had it enough during the weekend, he grinned conceited by his stamina. The storage was clean, he thought to wrap it up and move on.

The second storage building was only ten meters away from the first. Would there be anyone or would he just have to settle for the company of machines? Maybe a dirty handsome little mechanic would be nice appetite during his coffee brake even just to flirt a bit. After giving it some thought, he admitted that he wasn't kidding anyone by the little flirt attempt and stepped in the storage.

It was as soundless as the first one and probably as empty of life humans as well. He continued his work thinking he had time to move the coffee brake for later or rather he didn't have the time. He wanted to get the work done by tomorrow. Not that he had been given a deadline-he had the whole five weekdays to clean the three storages but if he had to continue this job for a one day longer he was sure he would at least try to kill someone, presumably himself. This job sucked, big time. First it had started out as a psychiatric cleaning job experiment and it worked until he had to get up at seven and grab a brush in every morning of his three week work relationship. Talking about relationships, Rikimaru was still thinking about Friday evening when the gang had meat up. Oni had got a long well with his friends, it didn't surprise him but maybe he had hoped for some short of disapproval from them. Ayame had done her bit, thank her for that. Made sense thought as she was the only one who knew that Oni had done a hit n' run with a monster car over his heart. Or just the hit, Rikimaru himself had done the run so Oni wouldn't try to reverse.

The sand was every where, in the corners, over the lifters, in his lungs and hair. It probably was after his eye sight for next. The evening had actually been nice. Maybe they really could be friends. Maybe he wouldn't have to make Oni's live a living hell after all, if he even could. But the thing Oni had blurted out about Rikimaru. Was he really too obsessive when it came to other people? No way, he thought, Oni was just ridiculing him. That self-righteous bastard, quite clever remark but still as smooth as an elephant over a wine class.

Oh for god's sake, what he was doing with his life, Rikimaru thought. He had way too expensive education for the job he was doing. He was alone and all most thirty, trying to live his teen's again. If he kept going on like this, he would end up being a wrinkled and bitter-sad poof, who would never admit that his happy hour was over for life.

What had gone into him? Why was he thinking so gloomy things, like his future? Remember the Plummer that fixed their shower and lectured Rikimaru to take care of his wife and not just a wife but a kid too. Well of course she had been joking or meant Kiku in some weird Ayame-ish way. So Rikimaru didn't say anything to her about it. How could he when he had forgotten the matter completely? And then one beautiful morning that Ayame had half a day free from work, she was feeling a bit ill, like throwing up in the bathroom. It was actually the first morning in a week that they had been up in a same hour. She had said it was nothing and left to work. When Rikimaru got his brain to work and put one and one together he got three.

He had spend the day checking this mathematical fact drifting from panic to anxiety and later, yes, happiness of a future father. Somehow he survived the day in library assistant and got home with out walking under a car because he was too much in thought. As the she finally got home and he had managed to be sure after many moments of daub that she surely was pregnant, he asked it from her directly. Well, to put it in short; she was not.

It was a slight disappointment after already preparing himself for the possibility. It was for the better still, Ayame as a mother and himself as a father that kid would certainly need a shrink. It was for the better, but why did he still feel like something would have been taken from him, like there was a huge hole in his soul that sucked all the energy from him.

---

After hours of serious self searching, really not getting anywhere with it, Rikimaru had finished his work. It was half six and he nearly hadn't taken a bite of his lunch. He should get Ayame home and to make him some food, even thought that lethal short of dish she usually managed to cook. He could have called Oni and tell him to make a delicious supper, because that man really knew how to cook, but they weren't as eased with each other that Rikimaru would have felt comfortable doing so.

Rikimaru took his bike that was leaning against the fence and looked behind him where he had came from, to the small hut he had just been given his sign out. He winked to the boy that was doing the paper work in there. The boy winked back and smiled a bit sad for seeing him leave for the last time. Rikimaru hopped on his bike and thought, yep, I'm never wrong about them. As he cycled away he wondered why was he letting a perfectly good quickie slip past him, the possibility of it unnoticed? The timing would have been perfect, last day in work, last hand shake, last a bit longer touch and hook, line, sinker. Now he felt guilty about it. He had flirted shamelessly to that poor youngster all most the whole three weeks and he had just turned his back and left. There should have been a law against doing something like this that he was just doing. But the boy was so tame, too tame for Rikimaru's liking and he had had enough about tame last weekend to last for a few life times.

It was all most six when Rikimaru came to the police station. He walked in and before he noticed he had walked his way to Ayame's work space, noticing it was empty. He was looking at the table filled with papers when Ayame's partner came carrying a box of files over his chest.

"Rikimaru, right?" He asked. Rikimaru couldn't really remember the guy from before but thought that something of him was familiar.

"Yes…?"

"She's down stairs, go trough that door and left, one floor down and onto your right… got it?" He, who ever he was, continued somewhere with the box.

"Yeah, thanks…" Now what was wrong with him, Rikimaru thought? He was like dream trip around the world. He made his way downstairs, only a few cops passed him at his way. He should have thought of something funny or not so funny to play a little crank at her and her colleagues, but mainly to her. Was he getting the cold again or plain old maybe? Maybe he could let himself slip for this once.

He came to a door that was guarded by an old police man behind a class. The man was looking a football match of the security camera. "Hey…" Rikimaru said to get his attention.

"Sorry…" The man started but then was cut of by his smile and small laugh. "Oh… Hello…" He changed the security cameras on again and it showed the shooting range off the next room. "How can I help you?"

Rikimaru couldn't figure out what was so funny. "Um, hello?" Did he really want to know.

"You don't remember me, do you?"

"I'm sorry I…"

"Put your hands behind your head…!" The police man imitated himself and Rikimaru recognised the voice. He was one of the Swat's that had interrupted his self-defence class.

"Oh yeah that brings my memory back… officer…"

"She's in there, I'll let you pass…" He said still laughing a bit.

"Sure, thanks…" Rikimaru backed to the door a little bothered.

Ayame was shooting a paper target, hearing protectors over her ears. She took an empty clip off the gun and noticed Rikimaru while at it. "Hi… What are you doing here?" She was suspicious and not whit out reason.

"Nothing much, came to see if you would come home already?" Rikimaru walked next to her and leaned on the wall sloppily.

Ayame put another clip in. "What's the time?"

"Over six."

Ayame couldn't somehow relax. Her experience told her not to, Rikimaru all ways had something planned. She shot another round and reeled the paper target to her. Guess it was all the same if she'd stop work for today. There wasn't a case that needed her constant attention. "Had a rough day?" She asked trying the ice. "You seem somewhat… bland…? And dusty, you're dipping all over the place… "

"Well industrial cleaning isn't actually a nice office job…" He held on to her hips leaning in close behind, while she inspected the paper, not budging just visibly rolling her eyes. "But why, now you put the thought of dipping and throbbing all over in my mind…" There was a change the guard was watching this trough the camera and then again not. Rikimaru had to admit that it was a little unimaginative plan but surely to result.

"My God's Rikimaru… It hasn't even been a year yet…" She stated flatly. "You know that Bob is watching the match, not us?"

"But you never know about Bob, do you?" Rikimaru nuzzled his head over her shoulder while she continued to practise and every shot jerked her shoulders against his chest.

She holds the gun up waking Rikimaru who pretended not to hear her. "You know, I still got one pullet left…Rikimaru…?"

Only momentary he raised his lips from her neck. "What does that stand for…?"

"It means… that I got a gun, and I'm not afraid to use it…"

Now she got his attention as he rose his head up and looked her and then the gun and then again her.

"Ice queen…" He muttered and went back to lean the wall again.

"Thanks Rikimaru, I've all ways wanted to say that…" She grinned putting away the gun. "Don't even pretend to be pouting about it…" She faced him ready to leave as soon as she got off safety classes and the hearing protector. "Besides, I'm seeing someone… and no matter that you are like a brother to me… I think it would still count as cheating, not as a psychiatric family dinner…"

She opened the door, in a manor rushed out so she wouldn't have to continue on the subject.

"Seeing who…?" Rikimaru followed her thought the doorway where she had suddenly stopped and looked in to the guards hut. Half of the police apartment was probably in that small box, looking kind of a caught in red handed as they spotted her outside.

"Traitors…!" She moved on.

As she had stopped paying attention to her colleagues they looked less guilty and made a face to Rikimaru; Lucky you're alive-She nearly cut your throat for trash pashing the forbidden. Rikimaru shook his head and Ayame managed to look behind her just then.

"Wipe that smile off your face…!"

"Yes ma'am…!" He couth her steps quickly. "Seeing who, Ayame? Anyone I know?"

"Rikimaru, you only know men with whom you have already slept with or are planning to at least, no."

"Where did you meet him, have you two gone out, how many times?"

"I'm not playing twenty questions with you. I don't want to talk about it yet…"

"Why not? … Is he ugly…?" Psychopath murderer?... Hannibal Lecter?... or possibly gay?"

"Non of above, it's just a bit delicate thing to be talked about as we are only going to our second date. Um, wait here, I won't be long…"

Ayame showed her id to the doorman and he let her in. The door man and Rikimaru were left in the hall of something. Rikimaru wasn't sure of what as he had been surprised by Ayame's mystery man. The doorman took a second look over Rikimaru. "Hey, aren't you Rikimaru?"

Ten minutes later Ayame came back carrying a brown box in her hand. The box was closed and it hadn't got any writing on it so it was impossible to say what was in it. "Shall we go?"

"Yep… Nice talking to you…" He said to the guard.

"Bye Art…!" She winked already walking towards the garage doors.

"Yeah, you two have a nice evening…"

"What is in that? Hope not anyone's head?"

"Kind of, work stuff…"

"I thought you were less busy this week?"

"I am, come on, get your bike…"

Ayame but her things on the back seat as Rikimaru put the bike in the trunk. She was about to sit on drivers seat.

"…Let me drive…?" Rikimaru finished tying the bike to the trunk.

"Why on earth would I let you drive?" She sat down to her seat and after a second Rikimaru settled for the passenger seat. "God… Jesus… All the things you ask…"

"It just would have been nice to get my bike safely home, that's all…"

They stopped into lights.

"I didn't know that swat's do that short of a job…?" Rikimaru asked remembering Bob again.

"Huh?"

"Guarding shooting range doors?"

Ayame brightened up as she remembered the incident. "They don't, Bob isn't in their team… But he has been like ages ago, year or two maybe. He still has friends there… or maybe they are retired by now…?" She was clad Rikimaru seemed to have forgotten her new companion she mentioned.

"Why did he quit?" Rikimaru asked absently while looking to an Asian restaurant at his side of the street. He was so hungry he could eat a horse. The light turned to green.

"His wife got pregnant and he didn't want his daughter to crow up whit out her dad… Not many of us can do that, give up our job like that. Police work is a calling, no obsession more likely… but what do I know…" She sighted putting on a blinker and turned to a smaller road.

Ayame didn't seem to budge for their conversation but Rikimaru had forgotten his hunger. Talking about daddies and daughters made him sink back to his previous thoughts but their subject got other specific dad and a daughter into Ayame's mind. She had seen Mat at Saturday evening and they had gone to a fine restaurant. Everything went well all most perfect, except a minor incident involving a bag snatcher and psycho Ayame in a little black dress. Why did she all ways let her true side out in the open as she knew how it resulted, she thought. Mat could have handled the situation, probably, as he is such a nice, ex-gang member and strong one not to mention. But no, she just had to be all she could be, which was far from being a lady. She just hoped she had broken a few ribs from the bandit for ruining her night out.

Maybe the situation wasn't that bad though. Mat had actually stayed and saved the crock from her grasp, helped her up and straightened her hair, asked if she was alright and even made a joke about it, not about her in mean a way. Most guys would have just used the opportunity to run. But then again Mat had already been a victim of her home security service. Maybe he knew what to expect. Ayame woke up from her memories and noticed that smile was playing on her lips.

Quickly she wiped it away and secretly looked over Rikimaru to be sure he hadn't noticed. Rikimaru was still looking the road somewhat absently.

So Mat wasn't bothered her being a woman who could take care of her self and yes, sometimes acted before thinking it a second time. But had she gone too far, thinking that it was only their first date and she'd gone and kissed him. Or maybe they were both as guilty with that. Maybe she should have left before Kiku walked in on the garage. At the moment they both agreed there would be a more sensitive way to tell Kiku about them seeing each other than the two leaning over Lamborghini's bonnet.

Luckily it was dark and Kiku wasn't really interested what her dad was doing in there in a middle of the night and left quit quickly. Mat had sat down next to Ayame leaning on to the slight blue car and told her he wanted to see her again and agreed that he would tell Kiku when they would know where this was going.

---


	16. Resident Cat

**Urban theory; chapter 16**Resident Cat

The cat woke up in a dark flat. It was still early to be awake.

Her tail moved lazily across the mat while she searched for a companion in the room. Nothing moved in the living room but somewhere game light. Was it from outside, she thought and came out under the table where she had been sleeping. She yawned and stretched, curling her tail and wiping her whiskers clean. It sat there for a while and listened.

There was noise outside. At least somewhere there was life. She headed to the window of the living room and hoped on to a chair and from there to a windowsill. It was too cramped she noticed but the lights of the street caught her interest. Taxi drove across the corner and disappeared. In another building across the street were still some lights on. Someone was looking TV and other ones were talking to each other.

The cat paced onwards the sill holding her tail high up. She hardly even noticed until it was too late that she had pushed a cactus down from the sill. It barely made a sound as the pot met the floor. Oh well it was too late to be sorry as the damage was all ready done, she thought as she looked the damage of her doing. The cat guessed she was going to hear from that later. She twirled for a while on the sill's edge before it gracefully jumped down to the floor not making a tiniest sound. Maybe she should make a change for the better from making a mess.

With a little effort the cat opened one of the doors that led to Ayame's room. At least she thought that the human was mainly called that. She had also heard Ayame to been called at officer and shit head, but the human seemed to respond les angrily to the name Ayame. The cat sniffled a hand that hang down from the bed. Some sixth sense told the little creature not to try and wake up the officer who was all most never home and for that matter the most interesting one of all.

It was all most insulting that they hadn't yet figured up a name for her, the cat thought. She was all ways revered as The Cat or The Fluffy little thing or then with a strange tones of voice as a Demonic Bastard. There had been some talk about Blood-thirsty-beast and Devil it self, but those didn't sound so nice, what ever did they meant. She noticed a movement on the hallway and froze, but it was only the other burgher in her apartment. Cheese-cakes hadn't noticed her, she thought. He was also sometimes called shit head. Maybe it was some general greeting, like good morning or come to mama.

The cat waited for Cheese-cakes to come out from a small closet and as he did the cat jumped quickly away from the door for it not to hit her.

"Watch it little fellow…"

The cat was pleased she was referred to something new instead of a Thing that could have meant a broken tea cup, garbage's or underwear. Besides he hardly ever said to her anything else than a greeting like shit head.

"Stop that… Get the fuck away from me…"

She thought he seemed a bit needy for attention and as he was being so nice she might just let him pet her for the rest of the night or as long as she got bored to it.

"Stupid… cat…"

He was probably wounded in someway, when he was born, the cat thought pushing her self against his legs and circling him around again and again. He was a strange human, needed to be taken noticed and loved unconditionally, but certainly didn't make it easy for others. Like for example now, he was just standing there and looking at her. Didn't he realize that she was offering a mighty good change to pet her silky black fur?

"Are you finished already…?"

The cat looked up at him sitting still for a change. She gave out a very bleeding and open look moving the tip of it's tale from side to side. _Pet me, you stupid retarded human!_

She heard a weird kind of breath from him as he walked back to his room. Cheese-cakes wasn't the happiest people she had seen. The lights went out and the cat followed him in the room, first not noticing him on the bed. He opened his eyes and the cat climbed next to him. Cheese-cakes looked warm under all that mass of fuzzes. The human seemed wary. She sat still but wanted to play.

"Why can't you crawl between a wall like a normal fur ball…? Go to sleep…"

The human turned his back to her and all most pushed her off the bed. Sometimes this made the cat think if Cheese-cakes liked her at all. But that couldn't be true, could it? Loud noise broke the night's silence. She felt him turning back and thought hopefully that maybe he had come to second thoughts about entertaining her, but then the human grabbed the loud piece of plastic over the table.

"You gotta be kidding me…"

He put the funny looking thing that gloomed light, over his ear. "Halloo…?"

Unfamiliar voice came from somewhere but no-one could be seen in the room. The cat pricked up her ears. "Hi, Rikimaru. Listen…eh…? Did I call in a bad time?"

"…The clock is… three a.m., Oni…? What do you think…?"

The cat was staggered about the voice that came out of nowhere and started looking if there was another person in the bed.

"Can I come there for the night?"

"…What…?"

"Is just that… I have no where else to go right now, my other friends are out of town, I got no money with me…?"

"…Don't you have a home to go to?"

"I wouldn't be asking if I'd have a place to go… Unless, you don't want a third wheel in there, I can freeze my arse off, sleeping in some sewer…? Oh, why did I bother…"

"Wait now…! Of course you can come here… Oni… I'm not in my brightest right now, sorry, where are you?"

"…Down in the gutter… No, well just about under your window... Wanna come n' let me in?"

"No, but hold on a sec… I put something on and look for my keys…"

"Well hurry up already, I'm freezing down here…!"

Slight peep-sound and he rose from the bed, all voices gone. The cat looked up from the bed sheets and as it noticed that he was gone it jumped after him. As she reached to the hallway that leads to the stairway, the front door slammed shut. What was that on about the cat wondered and stepped over the rummage in the hall? It jumped against the door and smelled the air trough a letterbox. Different sort of loud voices echoed in there. Cheese-cakes was talking.

"My gods here's cold…"

"No really? You wanna go outside and see if there's cold too, eh?" Was that the voice she never wound from the bed, the cat thought.

"So what happened? Did Rin kick you out…?"

"How did you guess?"

"Really?"

"…Yeah, really. Sad, isn't it? Teenage girl kicked me out of my own house…"

The cat went away from the door as the voices came nearer.

"Well actually she wasn't alone… Old colleagues can be difficult to handle…"

She went hiding as the door opened. It was Cheese-cakes and some other human.

"Sorry about I wake you up…"

"No need, no need… I was actually already awake, she has been begging for me to play with her the whole day… Don't know where she got the idea that would be some frigging play mate, it's driving me insane…"

"Uh-huh… I didn't mean to interrupt…"

"What? No, no, I meant the Thing… the little devilish creature that is in here somewhere… God, how that must have sounded…"

"Can I assume now that by devilish creature you didn't mean 'her'?"

"Ayame gave me a cat… You want tea, coffee, food in general? Maybe you should take a warm shower…?"

Were they talking about her, she wondered under her hide out?

"I don't want to keep you up, just show me a place to lay my head…"

"It's okay, I don't have work tomorrow and despite of it, I doubt I would get a wink of sleep anymore… with the cat and all… How's tea?"

The cat came under the shoe rack when the two men changed the hallway to a kitchen babbling of something. She was curious about this new voice, but kept her distance still. Evidently they were talking about her so she just as well might listen.

"Do you call it other than devilish creature or is it just its name?"

"Haven't decided yet… It's only been here since Monday… I don't even like cat's… or maybe I do, we just aren't good together… How's some bread?"

Did Cheese-cakes seem a little weird tonight?

"Three days? Don't let it die with out a name…"

"Hmm maybe I'll name it and then bury it… oh there it is…"

She looked the two sitting next to a table drinking something, while she was peaking from the hallway, her eyes glowing in the semi-dark flat. Suddenly they had noticed her. Maybe she should be a brave kitten and go get petted by this new comer, who was talking to her.

"Well aren't you gorgeous little black thing, wanna come here…?"

Something in him told the cat that she was going to like this new person and she slowly stepped into the kitchen. How lovely it was when someone really knew how to scratch behind your ear, just the spot you never really got to yourself. Could it get anymore perfect, the cat thought as he picked her from the floor and held her over his chest? She purred and pushed her head against him while he petted her.

"Someone sure likes you…"

"…Where did she get it?"

"Lost and found from the police station… Told me I needed to learn to take care of… something… if I ever become a dad…"

This man wasn't paying as much attention to her as he pretended to be, she thought and hopped down from his lap.

"…Dad? You're seeing someone…?"

"No… Just a little misunderstanding… I'm not seeing anyone who I could knock up. So how's your life, mine's empty and boring… How's Rin?"

"Little better, she talks more… But that's about it. …There's days that, I don't know can I leave her home alone… She doesn't sleep much in the night, just walks around the apartment… Every morning I'm afraid she's disappeared and gone… I actually thought I could help her after what happened to her family, but I dunno anymore, maybe she'd be better off with someone else…?"

"Is that why you colleague came to visit?"

"Guess so… Kagura can be as heartless at times but usually she gets results what ever she's doing…"

She looked up at the kitchen table where a couple of boxes were left partly open. Something was warm up there and the two were so busy talking that they wouldn't probably notice her getting on the table. She started cautious and rose up against the shelves. One hop, two hops and on the table, uh, what was so nicely warm and all in the same time so disgustingly moist?

"Hey…!"

Cheese-cakes was coming to rescue, but then just stood there and told her to get off the table. Being on the table was overrated and she did as she was told. He calmed down and went back to his seat.

"What day is it…? Friday?"

Human was talking again and ignored her in his feet.

"Yeah, you got anything planned?"

"Not that I would remember… She's got work right? Which time she leaves?"

"About half seven or eight, it depends if she remembered to but her alarm on… You can stay as long as you like, I doubt I'll be up before the noon, so, no hurry, if you wanna make my breakfast?"

"I guess I'll have to, if I'm planning to eat anything myself… that doesn't kill me…"

"Good…"

What the hell was that, the cat thought. First she was the centre of attention and then completely forgotten. There was something strange going on between those two. Both seemed to be crippled in some way that didn't show from outside. The cat hopped on armchair and laid there in one round ball. She closed her eyes but time to time open the other one to see if the chatting continued in the usual place. Little nap would be nice before the sun would start to rise up.

Where had she gotten her self into, she thought, dreaming off.

After a while the cat shook her self awake. She still had a lot to learn about sleeping like a cat, all ways ready to be ready. The flat had gone all quiet again and she recognised a little lump on the sofa. In cat's eyes he looked just like an electrically heated mattress.

She made her way across the floor and climbed over him, who was sleeping on his back. Was there anything better than a warm skin coming up and down slowly to lull her into sleep? Not likely to be anything quite like that. Hope he sleeps long or is he here to stay, could I sleep every night like this, she thought happily. Maybe he's the new pet after me. Well, he's not getting my place in the newly washed clothes basket.

Someone made a noise somewhere; she only stirred her ear a bit until a hand petted her back. She woke up flinching. Cheese-cakes had come to pet her finally, maybe he was jealous for the attention she was giving to others. The cat looked away still having the creeps for the fact that she hadn't noticed him there.

"Oni… are you awake…?"

The cat wasn't sure about his motives anymore. Was he trying to be nice to her or was he just after her new bed? If the all lazy Cheese-cakes would find out how nice he really was, he would take him all to himself and that wasn't an option she was willing to consider. The cat made sharp and unfriendly voice showing her teeth. _Stop harassing me, I'm busy and I don't need you anyway!_

Quickly he took his arm away from the angry cat that then settled back to sleep. She opened her other eye and thought that someone should know when he had lost the battle and not just stand there waiting. You had your change. Cheese-cakes was doing something with a blanket. She rose her head up from Oni's chest cagey to protect her rights.

He put the blanked over him and the cat so that the line of it was over the cat's neck. The devilish creature felt herself guilty for sighing at him and saw him walk to his room. The lights in there went out once again. The sudden burst of angry nails and teeth had wakened up her nervous system completely. She found the steady rhythm of breath dull and as nice as there were between two warm things, she crawled away from under the blanket and went after Cheese-cakes. Before that she noticed how her mattress turned to his side and gave a look to her. She waved her tail to say good night.

There were new dents in the carpet, but none of them smelled new so she continued to his room. The door was open but too narrow to pass if you didn't push your paws first, then the nose and head and finally got to the room. Doors were still too heavy for her size.

"Oni…? Oh, it's you…"

She jumped straight to the bed and smelled his face, didn't lick because she knew he tasted of his aftershave. Surprisingly Cheese-cakes made her a room over the bed looking at her like either of them weren't really there. He still had a lot to learn about living with a cat, she thought, but settled to stretch and roll up into a ball over the edge.

Before she drifted into her sleep she could hear him relax and start to breath normally behind her back. Maybe he would be okay with it if she'd be too and she didn't show any sign of discomfort.


	17. Resident Spiky

**Urban theory; chapter 17**Resident Spiky

Oh god how it was hurting, laying on the floor for fifth hour, broken and unable to function properly.

But what had he expected in this house hold? It was a bare miracle that he had survived this long as everyone else had died aside him. New one's came and new ones left, but he stayed. He was tougher than the rest, trained to survive in unbearable conditions. Until that damn cat came along! When was the last time anyone had notice him, talked to him, taken care of him in any way. It was obscene!

The cactus lay silently on the floor; it's inside storm visible for anyone else's eye. It noticed how a door opened. Finally someone would pick him up from the floor, off that unnatural position he was in, he thought. Great, big, white foot covered the last shade of sun the cactus would ever see.

"shIT…!!" Was the thought that Ayame shared with the so called vegetable, the cactus's last and Ayame's first thought for the morning. "God damn it…?!" She sat on the sofa and looked at the floor on what had she stepped on. Just her luck, it was the cactus Kiku had bought for them half a year ago. Now the old green thing was a new green mush thing on the floor and partly on her foot, looking like a green hedgehog with yellowish pikes.

"Shit-shit-shit-shitshitshitshit… Ou…" Ayame practically cried in the living room.

"You alright…?" Someone asked coming from the kitchen.

"…What are you doing in here?!" Her tone wasn't nice, not even close to friendly as she stupidly stared at Oni standing there next to her. Then she remembered she didn't have much on as she thought the flat would be fairly empty at her hours and she grasped the sheet over the sofa and tied it around her.

"Um, long story, what happened to you?"

"Hey I make the questions here…"

Oni was already examining her feet.

"This is a just a flat not a police station…"

"Yeah…? And it's my flat…?"

"…I lost my keys…"

Ayame thought his explanation for a moment and then smiled viciously. "So Rin kicked you out, huh? Good for her…"

"Whatever…" Oni grunted from the floor. "You got tweezers somewhere?"

"Stop graving for my leg, you… homeless bum… I'll just hop in to the bathroom…" She pulled her leg away sighting and started hoping towards the hallway. As she got to the door she felt like the morning needed a one more punch to get moving.

"…You didn't jack off on this, did you now?"

"…I wish now that I would have…"

They exchanged 'smiles' and Ayame slammed the door shut.

After fifteen minutes she came to kitchen, walking little carefully but otherwise fine, except the death feeling she got. Not her death and not even the cactus's or the cat's but someone else's.

"So does the lady eat breakfast at home or has her storage of fresh blood run out?" Oni sipped his coffee smugly. She pretended to be laughing and took some coffee. Oni was his back towards her reading the morning paper while she looked for a cup. She couldn't help to smell the delicious whatever it was and secretly looked over the pan.

"Have some breakfast… I just made it…"

She turned around and hissed to him. "…I rather not, don't wanna think with what you were planning to poison me…" She drank her coffee quickly or rather slow considering it was a cop in question. Oni couldn't take it anymore and hit the cup over the table, not quite breaking it or the table.

"What's you problem…? woman?!"

"…What's my problem…? Huh?" She wasn't a person to mess about at seven a clock in morning. "You gotta nerve to ask what's my problem, shit head!?"

The cat had woken up and came into the kitchen door meowing and started licking itself clean. Ayame lowered her voice as a quiet hiss. "Twist your brains and figure out what is my problem, asshole… If I could choose, I'd fix you behind bars like snap, you know why, because I-don't-like-ya, and neither would he, if he'd really know what you are about, just know, if you ever, never hurt anyone I know, you'll be real sorry, cause I'll know… where it hurts the most in you…" She backed away.

"You don't have to bullshit me, I've learned my lesson…!"

"Guys like you never do…" She threw a loathing look over Oni and turned away as she noticed the cat sitting in the doorway. "Oh look at you, how cute lambkin you are…" She kneeled down petting the kitten that instantly wanted to clime up to her lap.

Oni had to witness it and was sure she had to be schizophrenic. One was a harmless kid, second was the blood thirsty beast, third was psychopath, fourth was the psychopath's sister, the chainsaw murderer or was it brother, fifth…

She got up from the floor. "Break a neck…"

"Psycho…" He turned to the table sullen now that his morning was pashed to pieces. "You should have fallen over your face in that green goo…!"

"…Fuckface…!" The door slammed probably waking up half of the apartment building.

Meow, the cat said and leaped against his leg.

"Oh, not you… Let's see if he's up all ready...eh?" He picked up the cat from the floor. It was a small miracle if they hadn't waken Rikimaru up. All thought Oni knew he sometimes slept very much wakeless, but not to go there he just walked to see if there were any signs of life. And apparently there wasn't so he just let him continue with the dream.

Oni went back to sleep on the sofa, wondering where had she dragged his sheet and would he carry out the ultimatum.

---

Tatsumaru sat in a café at the early hours of Friday morning. His work would have started at nine this morning, but he didn't feel like going. Rikimaru was teaching him bad habits no doubt. It was eleven now, nearly time for lunch and he was holding onto his second cup of coffee that he'd patiently drank between the hours he had sat there alone.

"Tatsumaru…? Hi…?"

Unwillingly he turned towards the voice. "Hi Jin… How are you?" The question hold the same negative feeling.

Jin was his usual self, bursting out energy in small amounts. "Me? I'm fine… God damn Tatsu, I wish it would be me that's gotten you so gloomy…Can I sit with you? Promise to keep my hands my own, okay? Or are you with someone here?"

"No, just sit down…"

"Thanks man, you know I wasn't sure if you would ever talk to me after that one night or evening or who cares it's all forgotten as long as you'll forgive me?" Jin looked away briefly to the street. "…I didn't really know what to think when you didn't even come to that party Aya and Riki threw at us…"

"Oh, it wasn't about you… I really was tired…"

"I'll bet you were…" Jin said between grinning.

"How was it?"

"What, huh?"

"The time with the gang? I heard there was someone new?"

"Yeah…" Jin sat back little more comfortably on the chair as the waitress came to take his order. "One tea, please and…?" He caught Tatsumaru staring out of the window absently.

"Oh, nothing for me , thanks…" He showed his cup of coffee a little embarrassed, he'd been drinking it for quite a while. Time was apparently flying in this café.

Jin put his shopping bag on a chair as the waitress left. "Actually there were two newbies, did ya know?" Tatsumaru shook his head for a no.

"Kiku's father, who by the way is hotter than any man ever…" Jin sighted and rolled his eyes. "I remembered Riki telling me that he was young like thirty, but did he ever mentioned the looks, no, bet Riki just wanted to hock him all to himself…Like, hello, not in a million years and over my dead body…! I know, I KNOW, he's got a daughter but… Mat just has to be bi or else I'm gona die lonely and miserable…"

Tatsumaru was sure for a moment that that was what Jin was doing over the table; dying. He couldn't say what was Rikimaru's bet, but he himself could bet that Jin could talk about this to the end of the world and on. "…And how about the other?" He managed to get a word or two between.

"He was… not my type." Jin looked over his bags for a second. Just to be sure he hadn't lost anything valuable or that someone wouldn't try to steal his new shoes. "I dunno know really, where do you recon Riki knows him from?"

"Somehow I got the impression they have gone out sometime ago… and that their break up didn't happen in good terms…?"

"Oh so you know something?"

"Just guessing, Jin… Judging by the way he mentioned…?"

"Oni… something, can't remember… You know that Mat is abbreviation of Matsunoshin… ohh, that is so… brilliant…" Jin bit his lip.

"No, I didn't know that…" Tatsumaru gave up trying to dissuade was Jin being annoying or just plain Jin. The waitress brought his tea. "Here you are…"

"Thanks…" Jin paid the tea right away. As he stuffed his wallet back to his pocket he noticed that his friend had drifted back to dream world. Or in the middle of nightmares, how could he be sure? "Hey Tatsu, what's wrong…? Shouldn't you be in work or something, like all the decent people?"

"I felt sick, so I didn't go, because…"

"Hey, wou, you don't have explained it to me…" Jin smiled waving his hand over the table. "Tell it to your boss, big boy… but what's bugging you, else than guilty conscience…of course?"

"Other than that?" Tatsumaru asked stunned for his question. "Nothing at all…"

---

Oni walked up the stairs and pushed the doorbell of his house. No-one said a word from the speaker just opened the door for him. Was he really going to walk on in, he made a question to his self-protection instinct. Who knew what was waiting for him behind the door as Kagura probably knew he wasn't going to use the lift but the backstairs. Well no pain no gain had someone already dead said.

Inside it seemed that everything was the same as before. Except the kitchen that looked awful even from a far. Kagura had probably tried to bake something that eventually had blown up, no surprises there. No, I'm not going to go there yet, because if I am I won't be able to leave before it's clean, Oni told him self and thought it best to find Rin first.

And there she was, right where he had left her, sitting on the floor and watching TV. Oni sat on the sofa.

"So…? How was the girls-night with auntie-Kagura?"

First it seemed that Rin didn't react in anyway and was her usual uncommunicative self, but then she rose up a bit to sit on the floor. "Do I… Have to leave?" She looked at him straight into his eyes, trusting him to read her mind like a parent.

"Leave to where?" Improvement, she was somewhat more open than the night before but the conversation still seemed to happen in looks and subconscious gestures, not in words. Oni had blissfully forgotten all about this wordless interplay and had now hard time remembering how it was that a child or a young person saw the world.

"Away… from here, to live with her?"

"Oh? …Do you wanna leave? If you don't, you don't have to… You can stay here with me, that is, if you can stand me…?" Stupid Kagura, Oni thought, think she could step in line when it suited her and make Rin a little project of hers.

Suddenly Rin stood up and came to the sofa next to Oni. She reminded him of a certain cat when she snuggled under his arm pulling her self in a ball. "I wanna stay…?"

Yeah she really reminded him of the cat sometimes and he hugged her, already focused on the TV.

"So like what did you girls do while I was out…? Did she make you any breakfast before she left?"

"Yeah…" She spoke quietly, different than before. "I'm hungry…"

"Sorry, had to make someone else a breakfast, you mind?"

He wasn't sure had she just shook her head or not.

"Well what's it gona be this morning?"

"…Anything… as long as it doesn't blow up…"

For a passing second he hoped Kagura would still had been there to hear it, but then withdraw his wish, controlling the genuine burst of laugh. Rin looked up to him. "She does quite a lot of that, doesn't she? Blows things up?"

"…Maybe she isn't the best of cooks, but yes, she does it quite often…" Rin's question bothered Oni, because in truth Kagura really know how to blow things up and he wasn't sure how would she react on it. Especially now that her family had been murdered by an underground-group, that held a grudge for the silent assassins. Yes, her mom, her dad and her big sister were all living double life; other as a model citizens and the other as an outlaws.

"Does she kill people?"

"Rin?" He pulled himself further to make his point with stern look. "No."

"…Do you kill people?"

"No, I don't…" Not yet at least, he thought guilty and looked away as she kept on pushing.

"Have you killed anyone…?"

"No…! Rin, I haven't killed a single person in my life. But Kichigoro has and that's why he's in prison… When he gets out he'll keep you in better safe than anyone of us can." He got up from the sofa to see what kind of an effect his words had on her. "Until then… What shall we eat?" He asked lightly, but the atmosphere stayed the same. "Okay, pancakes…!" And he went to the kitchen.

Who was he kidding he thought and checked on her after a while. She was changing the channel. She didn't budge about much. But what else he really could expect from a girl who was to be trained to kill for money. The kitchen was ruined, curse that woman, he sighted and all of a sudden Rin was sitting across the table observing his cooking.

"I'll clean later, just wanna get something to eat first…"

"You're gona say to her that I'm not coming… when she comes to pick me up?"

"Did she say she was coming to pick you up?

And it was the doorbell. Oni and Rin looked at each other like waiting something to explode at any second. The speaker on the hallway wall yelled angrily. "Hellou…! Good morning…!" She trilled. "Rin? Please let me in, wake up, little girlie…"

Oni realized she wasn't just going to disappear in a thin air. "Wait here…" He told Rin and strode off to the corridor where the voice was coming.

"Rise and shine, Rin… No wait, is he already there? …Rin? Why did you let him in…?!"

Smart girl Kagura was, Oni thought grinning. "Hi Kagura, how have you been?"

"Oni, let me in…!"

"Yeah sure, oh wait… Why should I?"

"…You seem to know why, has she packed her things?"

"No, she hasn't."

"…Well can I come up there to wait, it's cold in here…?"

"It was cold last night too, Kagura…"

"Oh please, like you wouldn't got a place to go, Oni!?"

"That's not the point, the point is; What the hell happened to my kitchen?"

"…Just send her down when ever she's ready, I'll go and wait in my car…"

"She's not coming with you, K… She stays here…"

"Oh boy… Be reasonable Oni… What do you know about little girls and their needs? She can't live with you! My goddess, think about it a little, your bachelor lifestyle… "

"At least I can feed her, unlike some…!"

"That's not fair, one single…"

"Single?! Single my ass, K…! She doesn't want to move in with you, get that to your thick scull…!"

"Well I don't believe you, you are too… you! …to take care of anyone else…!"

As the custody dispute continued not really getting anywhere Rin went to the room that was above the entrance. She opened a window and looked down. "Kagura…?!"

The silence was ear piercing compared to the previous condition. Kagura stumbled from under the porch. "…Rin?"

"I'm not moving in with you, I wanna stay here, with Oni… Please, leave us alone…" Rin pulled the window closed and went back to kitchen to wait her food to be ready.

---

Had Oni forgotten something, was Rikimaru's first thought as his doorbell rang at two o'clock in afternoon. He hanged back and took his time to get to the door and as it happened it was Tatsumaru behind it. "Tatsu?" How strange, was it some public holiday or something or had the gay-parade come into town? Tatsumaru certainly didn't look like he was bringing good news. "Come in, shouldn't you be in work?"

"I should…" He stepped into the hallway not saying much. As he got his shoes on he walked straight to living room and sat down on the sofa. Rikimaru found his behaviour in away amusing. Tatsumaru needed to loosen up, but this was creepy. He followed him and sat on one of the armchairs. Meow and a cat jumped off under him. God knew which one had spooked most. The cat was visible in Tatsumaru's eyes.

"What's up?" Now it started to be real creepy. "What's happened?" Rikimaru asked genuinely concerned.

"Oh… Nothing that serious, Rikimaru… No one's died… I just don't know what to do…"

"With what? …Don't say, you quit your job?"

"No… Just took a day off. I can't concentrate on anything right now, Hitoha is coming home on Sunday, I dunno know will he be staying or leaving… but that's not really the relevant issue, I'd think…?"

"Uh-huh…?"

"I have to think something to say to him…?"

"…Yes, that would be a good plan…" It was obvious that his friend wanted to tell him something, but couldn'y get it out of his mouth.

"Only thing that is, my head is empty for all the thinking and… and…"

"And what…?" He was close telling, Rikimaru could see.

Then something changed and Tatsumaru sighted forgetting what had he ment to say in a first place.

"…I wanna get absolutely smashed tonight… Tell me I don't have to do it alone?" Tatsumaru looked his friend with average sanity ringing in his mind and eyes for the first time during this visit.


	18. Introduction

**Urban theory; chapter 18**Introduction

"So who's coming?" Tatsumaru asked over the table as Rikimaru came back from making a few phone calls.

Rikimaru grinned to his friend who already had had a few before they left home. "…Ayame as she gets from the cell, Dan, probably Jin too, few of my friends from practise…" This was a total lie, he knew that. He had called one and got at least twenty. Well what could he say, they really liked a big party, with a pool table and Irish beer, partly the reason why they where in this particular bar. "And Oni and Mat, of course, as you haven't met them… Thought Mat wasn't sure if he would make it at all…"

Tatsumaru played with an empty class and stared at its bottom. "So… Mat is Kiku's father, right?"

"Yeah…"

"And he's just a year older than me?"

Rikimaru nodded silently.

"You all ways this quiet when you're not drinking?"

"No."

"Right… so when, are they gona come…?" The end just fell on it's place like a slip, but Rikimaru didn't seem to notice anything. Tatsumaru couldn't stop stare at the door or not the door but the person who had just walked in. It was that guy he had, no, might have had sex with at the night before Hitoha left. What a coincidence, what an unpleasant coincidence! Hopes up he don't want to chat, Tatsumaru thought.

"Um…" Rikimaru hadn't got the time to go further with his answer as his phone rang.

Oh no, something was terribly wrong now, Tatsumaru realized as he noticed that the 'guy' was holding a phone on his ear when he turned towards the voice of Rikimaru's cell phone and eyes stopped at the exact spot Tatsumaru was sitting. Oh no, these things shouldn't happen in real life, Tatsumaru shared a severe look with this man.

Rikimaru finally found his phone and answered. "What's keeping you?"

Tatsumaru could swear that he heard that in small technical replay from few feet's away. Oni had a moment of doubt; to leave or not to leave; now there's a question. But how would it make him seem to run off now?

In the meanwhile Rikimaru was beginning to wonder why Oni was so quiet, but then he suddenly felt someone very close to his ear.

"Nothing…" He sat down next to Rikimaru all most opposite to Tatsumaru.

"Oh, hi…?"

"Didn't see you two from there…"

"Right, Oni this is Tatsu and Tatsu this is Oni…" Rikimaru introduced the two who just looked at each other like they were playing Russian roulette, one loaded gun between them. Rikimaru couldn't help but to notice the weird twist in the loose atmosphere of the bar. "Oh come on, shake hands or something…"

Oni was still thinking should he come clean and say that they had already met, once, as Tatsumaru gave out his hand across the table.

A small quiet greeting was all he said as Oni shook his hand and gave Tatsumaru a grin to misinterpret in any way he might have liked with that lame salutation. Over all conclusions still seemed to be an act of sudden memory loss or was it?

"…Tatsu works for the TMA…" Rikimaru threw it out lazily.

"Oh really…? That sounds interesting, eh?" Oni hoped his voice didn't sound too fake, but as long as it didn't rise too much of Rikimaru's attention it was perfect. Tatsumaru thought seemed to get the hint. It was perfectly understandable for this Tatsu-chap not wanting to know him and explain something neither of them remembered, but then again, was it perfectly okay? Why didn't Tatsu really want to say that they knew each other from before, possibly connected by a steamy, sweltering shag session?

"No really, it's not… They are all about one thing, which is… coffee of course… How about you… Rikimaru tells me you're a real artist?"

"A real artist?" Oni looked over to Rikimaru who just gave it a shrug. "You suppose to know what all the 'real artists' do?"

Rikimaru ignored his spiky tone and lectured. "They never leave their home, unless to get paintbrushes, canvas or whatever, usually they sleep around the clock and only pretend to be busy or looking for their inspiration if someone catches them doing nothing, most likely someone who's given them their last check…" He paused as if to think of something else he was forgetting. "And they feed them self's only with drugs…"

Oni took the matter slightly. "And how does the life style differ from yours?"

"…I don't need paintbrushes or canvases…?"

"Exactly…! Now if you'll excuse me, I go and get us served, what are you having?"

Two and half an hour later the place was packed full. The background was humming lazily in tones of Garbage.

_I can't use what I can't abuse _

_And I can't stop when it comes to you _

_You burned me out but I'm back at your door _

_Like Joan of Arc coming back for more _

Oni had lost the rest of the gang while drinking something that tasted very much like pure alcohol. The sweet taste that made your brain turn inside out right after the face. After a moment of search he could see Rikimaru talking friendly to two, probably his mates from the practice. Tatsumaru had most likely gone hiding, not in the bathroom, Oni had checked. Jin was looming over Gohda while Dan tried to have a decent conversation with him. What was that all about anyway? And talking about strange things, Rikimaru was sober. More sober than him at least and god that was scary. When that had ever happened, he thought worried and took more of the liquid to clear his mind.

Right then Ayame stepped in to the bar and first thing she saw was Oni. Perfect, he thought and nearly mentally swallowed the class whole.

_I nearly died__… _

I thought it was going to be a small party, Ayame thought as she came down the steps and eyes the room for any familiar faces to witness what she was about to do.

_I came to cut you up _

_I came to knock you down _

_I came around to tear your little world apart _

_I came to shut you up _

_I came to drag you down _

_I came around to tear your little world apart _

_And break your soul apart _

"Hi…" She said as she got to Oni. He raises an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Ayame continued. "I would offer you a drink as a peace offer, but it seems you have had enough already…"

"...Well, well, the psycho is trying to say… what exactly…?"

If a smile could kill…

They looked at each other. "I'm sorry, that I threatened to cut off your balls and feed them to the blender, and then to you… Yeah, I don't know what went into me…"

_You burn and burn to get under my skin _

_You've gone too far now I won't give in _

_You crucified me but I'm back in your bed _

_Like Jesus Christ coming from the dead _

Rikimaru saw that Ayame had finally got off from work. They could smile and talk all they wanted but he could feel the tension across the room. Wonder what they are saying he thought while the music filled the air. Maybe he should go between before it got out of hand.

_I nearly died__… _

"So you made it finally…? What where you talking about so keenly…?" Rikimaru couldn't hep but to be curious.

Ayame seemed somewhat sincere. "Nothing much… You've seen Mat?"

_I nearly died__… _

Ayame and Rikimaru kept on talking while the annoying chorus filled Oni's head.

_I came to cut you up _

_I came to knock you down _

_I came around to tear your little world apart _

_I came to shut you up _

_I came to suck you down _

_I came around to tear your little world apart _

Suddenly Ayame left and he stayed with Rikimaru. He took her place, leaning against the bar desk. Oni couldn't help but to think how fine he looked when he did that. Then again he thought that thank god he wasn't too drunk to act upon his brain.

…_Tear your little world apart _

_And break your soul apart_

"…God damn, I hate this stupid song…"

Rikimaru looked surprised but amused. "Why on earth…?"

"I dunno… Maybe because it's so fucking… realistic…" Green eyes met the dark brown ones, just like once when they started to realize who the other one really was.

…_I can't stop when it comes to you _

_When it comes to you… _

_When it comes to you... _

Now he whished he wouldn't have spoken for his mind, Oni thought while Rikimaru digested his stare and listened. Something caught his eye, behind Rikimaru. "…Oh dear…"

Rikimaru looked over his shoulder. "What?"

"…I think I just saw Jin going to the balcony…"

Mat had managed to get away from the crowed and was enjoying a peaceful moment in the night air over the balcony. Real reason for him to be there was that he hoped Ayame to find him and they could steal some time together with out the nosy eyes. The door opened behind him, but with out looking Mat was sure it wasn't the one he hoped it to be.

He looked behind his back. "…Hi Jin…" He said sighting heavily.

Jin walked next to him with his usual mood. "Why, so sad to see me?" He smirked and then seeming to calm down in a manor that wasn't Jin at all.

"…Jin…?" Mat started uncertain about his speech. This was the first time he actually had to deal with someone like Jin. By that he meant over social, over happy, over weird and over liking of him. Usually, people like Jin, were afraid of him and didn't come even close.

"Uh-huh?"

How should he tell this, he had no idea how to handle him? As much as the thought spooked him, it would have been good to have his daughter here as an interpreter. "Listen …I'm not gay…"

Jin smiled so widely that his face nearly burst. "Yeah, I know…" He put his cigarette back to his lips after blowing out a long breath of grey smoke. "…But that doesn't stop me from trying, does it?"

Seeing Jin this serious made Mat smile for some reason he couldn't tell. "…Whatever you say…"

"Whatever I say…?! Careful now Mat… Don't tempt me, cause you could never have my heart… It belongs to someone else, even thought he doesn't know it. And I don't want him to know, that's why I have to pretend focus on you, so they won't notice…" Jin laughed shortly. "Why am I telling you this…? I dunno? Jin shook his head and smiled. "Too much to drink maybe…?"

Mat looked at him lost for words and Jin patted his shoulder. He dumped his cigarette edging closer to the other man. "…Your girlfriend is here…" Jin whispered to his ear before he left, passing Ayame at the door. She gave him angry look for harassing, but smiled to Mat.

"Was Jin being Jin again?" She said over his lips.

Jin walked inside and bumps into Tatsumaru in the middle of the crowd. Jin laughs as they try to keep from falling to the floor by taking a support from one another.

"Oh hi there, or here… Where have you been hiding…?"

Tatsumaru who was more drunk than his friend, was just smiling widely. "…Here and there…"

"You've been a busy boy, Tatsu?"

"Yeah…! Too busy, for my own good…"

"Right, Tatsu… Have you seen Riki or that other guy, what was his name again…?"

"…Oni…"

"Yeah, that was it… Well have you?"

"Have I what?"

"Never mind, Tatsu. Maybe we should find a seat for you… I mean no offence, but you are quite heavy for a girl…"

"…Sorry… I don't mean to be…" Tatsumaru smiled.

"Yeah, yeah…"

"You need help?" Oni came to the other side of Tatsumaru and helped him to walk. Tatsumaru shared a look with him and thought he was way too in-touching-him-distance. Like he really needed to be reminded about that morning and Hitoha.

"…Thanks… Boy, he's heavy…!" Jin sighted as he got away under Tatsumaru's arm and sit next to him.

"…You two wanna play pool with me and Rikimaru… On the second thought, can you stand?" Oni asked.

"I think I'll pass this one…" Tatsumaru said, meaning to say no.

Rikimaru suddenly came seemingly from nowhere. "So are you in or out…?"

Jin evaluated Tatsumaru's condition to hit even to a fall. "…I think I'll team up with Riki…"

"Don't think so, dear-Jin… You really do suck when it comes to playing pool… Nothing personal though…"

"You're not exactly a master, your self, duh!?"

"Besides… I already teamed up with Oni…" Rikimaru gave others a vicious and victorious grin.

"Oh that's just great…! He just has to be good, 'cause he's totally like made for this place with those cursed tables…" Jin burst and then looked up to Oni's plank, slightly amused, face and said. "Nothing personal though…"

"…Guess you're playing with Mr. Can't-stand-by-him self, then…"

Tatsumaru didn't feel very cheerful.

"I can cover him, if that's okay with you?" Dan asked to Tatsumaru. He just waved his hand in a way of saying; be my guest. Rikimaru had gotten the table ready. "Okay so it's me and Oni against Jin and Dan? So none of us really knows how to play this by the book, but I assume it's a good thing… Saves me from the embarrassment, so who's gona start?"

Oni and Rikimaru were winning the game. Mainly because Jin all ways managed to hit the white ball over the edge of the table. "If someone laughs right now…" Jin had said and a second later even Tatsumaru was laughing like insane.

"Jin… It's not a basketball game…" Dan said as he was the first who stopped howling. "Come on, let me show you…"

Rikimaru hunted the ball and gave it to Dan. "Maybe we should give them some mercy…?" He looked to Oni who was sitting next to the table and putting away the stick.

"Yeah, it's not like there would be any doubt about the winners…eh?"

"Oh shut up, you two…" Jin said sour while Dan tried to make him pay attention to his teachings.

"Pay attention, Jordan"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Rikimaru sit between Tatsumaru and Oni, all three facing the pool table, but not really looking. "Has anyone seen Ayame?" Rikimaru asked taking his class from the table.

"Not really…" Oni said searching something from his pockets. "Oh, yeah and by the way… Has anyone seen Mat?"

"You sure are trying to imply something, I whish I would know what that might be, Oni?"

Oni shook his head. "Denial, denial… Well, excuse me; I think I left my inspiration in my jacket pocket…" He rose up. "I'll be there if anyone's interested…" And walked away.

Stay away, Tatsumaru thought and looked at his watch. It wasn't even 1 a.m. yet.

"Tatsu…?" He heard Rikimaru saying his name even thought he didn't look at him.

"…What?"

"What was it that you wanted to talk about earlier this day?"

"…I can't remember anymore…" He lied.

"Sure you can…" Rikimaru cell phone beeped, but he ignored it. Tatsumaru made an absent remark while he counted the hours in his mind for Hitoha to come back and possibly bag his bags and leave.

"It might be important…?"

Reluctantly Rikimaru concentrated to his phone; Ayame had sent him a text message. _Calling for that favour you OWE ME; don't come home until noon!_

While Rikimaru puzzled what was that all about, partly worried, partly dead curious, Tatsumaru slip away. Now he really whished that Ayame would have arrested him for that once, and not let him get away. Yeah he might have lost his license to practice law, but who cared about things like that? Oh yeah, he had once cared a great deal.

Jin stretched over the table and aimed. Too bad he was a bit too tipsy to keep his target locked. His hand shook a bit and for some reason he found it very funny, trying to keep from laughing.

"Can't be that hard Jin…" Dan said biting his lip.

"Crying out loud… Let me…" Rikimaru pushed Ayame out of his thoughts and walked up to Jin who wasn't going to give up.

"No…!"

Rikimaru bend over Jin and put his hand over his. Jin looked at his friend in the eye corner and got a grin back. "…Just focus on my hands."

"Ou? I really thought that the balls were the important part…?"

"What?" Rikimaru hit the ball that hit to another two that rolled down in the sack. "…Were you talking about yours or mine…?"

"You gotta be kidding me…" Dan rolled his eyes and waved a hand to them, leaving the scene.

'The couple' got up from the table surprised by Dan's reaction. "Hey Dan? Where are you going?!" Rikimaru yelled after him but Dan had already disappeared to the crowd.

"…Some people have no sense of humour, do they?" Jin asked playfully.

"No… No they don't…" Rikimaru thought it for a moment. "…Or… Am I missing something?"

Jin rose up from the pool table he had been sitting on and took his drink from side table. "…Like?"

"…Like, stepping onto his toes or something…?"

"No, you were not." Jin looked at the crowd not really seeing Dan anywhere. "Probably something like, he's too tired to fuck around with us, goddamn brood… Or maybe it's about the place? It's kinda like dead here, don't you think?"

"How should it be then?"

"…Loud music… loud people, more people like me… more… energy in the air, anyone in here will end up as calm as him…"

Jin walked away to the opposite direction he had nodded. It seemed that it had been a weird night for everyone, except and maybe for him self. Rikimaru found him self alone for a while and wondered who had Jin meant; he found Oni, smoking under a sign that told it was forbidden.

"Don't you know smoking is bad for you?"

Oni looked shortly over him and then continued to look at Tatsumaru and Dan dancing. Other people kept their distance to them looking very normal compared to the two who were the only ones dancing in the bar. "…I'm not 'smoking'"

"You're not?"

"No, I'm not"

Rikimaru was stunned by the outlook, before moving his thoughts back to the dancers. "Have they been there for long?"

"The other one has…"

And the music went on, regardless of the many questioning looks.

_Don't stop, don't stop the feet  
Won't stop, won't stop the beat  
and GO_

Everybody,  
move you're feet,  
and feel united ohohoh 

_  
Yeah, got the dance energy, oh yeah _

"Where are my manners…" Oni handed the cigarette to Rikimaru.

He looked at it motionless. "You know I don't smoke. Very least of something from the bottom of your pockets…"

"…No?" Oni asked patiently.

"…No"

"No?" He inhaled the smoke and tried to convince him of how good it tasted, smiling wicked to the other.

"No."

"No?"

_d-d-don't stop the beat  
I c-c-can't control the feet  
p-p-people in the streets  
com'on everybody, move you're feet  
Don't stop, (don't stop) don't stop, the beat  
I can't stop, (can't stop) can't stop the beat  
I won't stop, won't stop (won't stop)…_

"No…" Rikimaru said crowing more bored than irritated. He thought Oni had stopped using. Or that was what he had told him, that the stuff made him all weird sometimes. Why did Oni think it was an illegal drug otherwise, really?

"Are you sure?"

"Yes…!"

"Okay then…" Oni looked away grinning, taking a very long breath from his cigarette.

_  
s-s-sing my song and  
y-y-you sing along, just  
p-p-put my record on  
and all of you're troubles are dead and gone  
_

Then Oni turned back to him. Very casually he took a firm grip behind Rikimaru's neck, preventing any escape plans to come true and but his mouth against Rikimaru's, conveniently his lips happened to be open for the surprise.

_  
Don't stop, (don't stop) don't stop, the beat…  
_

Smoke that he had just said no to a hundred times filled his lungs when Oni pulled away.

Oni looked at him for a while. "…Hypocrite." Oni stated and leant back against the fall and looked at the dancers. "Not a single couch, my gods, you are all most worst than… some people I know…"

"Oh?…You goddamnasshole…! Give me that…!" Rikimaru slapped him on back of his head and grabbed the smoke. "…I was supposed to stay sober for this night…"

"Hey…!? Don't hog all to your self…"

"You started this… stop complaining… What is this?"

"If you don't know, I don't have to tell you. At least you won't get hooked…"

After a few long breaths the night turned out to be a bit more cheerful, but surely not more sober.

A/n: Song: Move your feet by Junior senior


	19. Shadows of the Soul

Urban theory; chapter 19 Shadows of the soul 

The night had gone absolutely splendid or at least had gone until Oni literally forced it down to his throat and the following three hours had vanished to thin air. Maybe it was for the better, Rikimaru sighted. He trailed up the stairs after Tatsumaru, a few meters after Tatsumaru to be exact. Oh god damn with you Oni, Rikimaru held his head to prevent it from falling off from the shoulders as he cursed silently inside his brain, the last time he's going to lure me to breathe that garbage.

Tatsumaru waited at his door as Rikimaru took a moment to breathe and stood still only a two or three steps from the platform. Tatsumaru looked familiar, he thought, or rather something on his face, the look maybe? Tatsumaru had been talking all the way from the Oni's apartment to his own and Rikimaru didn't got the faintest idea of what about. And now Tatsumaru was looking at him like he waited for an answer. "…What?"

Tatsumaru leaned on the open door. "…I didn't say anything… Did I?"

He took a step and another thinking that maybe his friend hadn't been talking constantly. So his ears were ringing even though there were hardly any music in the bar. Oh how frigging nice, Rikimaru managed a smile wondering in the same time why didn't he want to empty his stomach contents on the floor. Not that he really missed that part of his hangover, no, not really.

Actually he was feeling quite cheerful when he reached the door and stepped inside to the corridor where Tatsumaru was. Maybe the sledgehammer was still on its way.

Tatsumaru went to put the kettle on while Rikimaru collapsed on the sofa. "You need any help in the kitchen, honey?"

Tatsumaru yelled something negative from where he was and continued to hassle around the kitchen. Even he was over cheerful considering that he barely could stand by himself sometime ago. What a pleasant night, strangely pleasant. True that the beginning was a bit slow but the rest covered it. What had actually happened, he tried to clear the blur. The clock was 8 a.m. which meant that he still got four hours to spend until he could go home. What on earth she needed the apartment to herself for? Hopefully he still had a home to go to and a roommate at noon.

So Oni drugged him, that he could still remember. Too well to his liking. It had provoked his desire to revenge or whatever to Oni and the night… The plank shade of it had changed to a wrong kind of a pressing, hot shade. Hopefully Oni had been a bit more out of things than Rikimaru himself and couldn't remember or comprehend the longing looks he had sent with flashing lights. He didn't mean to, Rikimaru lectured himself; he just couldn't help himself when it came to flirting. Not that he necessarily meant anything by it. It was just a bit of fun. Hopefully Oni understood it too. …Perfectly innocent.

What else, he thought for a moment. They had danced. How strange. He couldn't remember when he had last time seen Oni dance. He didn't appreciate it much to say the least. The guy danced only to mock everyone else about the fact how stupid they were making them self look or if it was a question of artistic performance. Either way his dancing looked pretty much the same in both cases. And how was it by the way that the guy managed to make a fool of himself and still look so good? Maybe there was something wrong in his eyes and for real he wasn't cool at all. Yeah, that's how it had to be. Why else there would be the lines of dancing Oni burned to his pupils. Not cool just hot.

What else, Rikimaru closed his eyes slightly irritated hit himself. His cat got a name from the boys, but they should see if it only answered to name's including the words shit or fuck. Tatsu and Dan seemed to come along well. Jin had pick a quarrel with some girls and lost a nail and a fight. Dan luckily saved him and they made a lucky escape. Wonder if they managed to get all the way home, Rikimaru thought. Talking about his mates, he remembered that someone had invited Oni to the practise, that someone being possibly himself. Me and my big mouth, Rikimaru thought.

Tatsumaru came to the living room with two cups. "Thank god, it's only Saturday… I can sleep rest of the weekend."

"I thought Hitoha is coming over…?"

Tatsumaru winced. "…I had already forgotten…"

"So what's the big deal between you two anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Tatsumaru seemed surprised.

"Really… Tatsumaru…? You're not together, are you?"

"Me and Hito…? No… What make's you think that?" He tried a smile.

"You act like you were…"

"Me…? No… Do I?"

Rikimaru just looked at him saying; do I really have to say it out loud.

"I dunno know why am I like this when it comes to him… He's like this little puppy you want to protect, but... at the end of the day, you can't…"

"Yeah… At the end of the day, you just want to ravish him…!"

Tatsumaru was long silent until. "…Yeah… Why is everything so complicated in my life…?"

Rikimaru rose up from the couch so that he could see Tatsumaru. "…You are taking it way too seriously. It's not you're fault that he's gay now is it?"

Tatsumaru looked up under his eyelashes. "It isn't?" He asked doubtfully.

Sometimes, Rikimaru thought, just sometimes Tatsumaru's life philosophy was plain ridicules. "Well… You are pretty hot for a guy and if it would happen that a young man would find his way to your bed all by himself… he just has to be, straight…" Some people make the living hard for them self's.

"That's not the point…"

"What is not? That you are hot…?" Rikimaru smiled. "Hey, that rhymes…"

"…You're still on the drugs, Rikimaru… aren't you?"

"Why do you ask? Do I act strange?"

"…No… not at all… you're being very like Rikimaru right now…"

Rikimaru leaned into Tatsumaru's personal space and kissed him gently nipping his lower lip. Tatsumaru was uncertain. "I'm not sure… this is a good… idea… right now…?"

"You'll find the words a lot better when your thoughts aren't in his pants…Tatsu?"

Tatsumaru gave in easily, which was a shame as Rikimaru would have been more than happy to tease.

The clock turned eleven a.m. sharp just as Tatsumaru rolled over in his bed. He had been sleeping a while and now he reached for the other body he knew to find leaning against his back. He was stunned to find a loveless pillow warming his back. "Riki…? maru…?" He utterly muttered from between his slight blue sheets.

He put on his pants and went to search. Why would have he left so early, he thought and smelled something burned in the air. He reached the kitchen and found Rikimaru making sandwiches. How could someone burn sandwiches? "What are you doing?"

"Breakfast for you…" Rikimaru looked up from the table, leaving the plate alone and walking up to Tatsumaru.

"Why on earth, Rikimaru, I can feed myself…?" By the time Tatsumaru had finished the sentence Rikimaru had wrapped hands around Tatsumaru and planning for more. "Admit it… Afraid to taste my cooking…"

Tatsumaru didn't saw it necessary to answer.

"I just thought to make something nice for you…"

Tatsumaru smiled. "…I thought you already did…?"

Rikimaru smiled slightly back to him before kissing his cheek, neck and lips to get away with out saying his thoughts out loud. That he was kissing one man and thinking about other.

Rikimaru's attempt to be nice again grew more intense and Tatsumaru ended up sitting on the table while holding on to Rikimaru. Out of the blue Tatsumaru then said something. "…How long have you known him…?"

Rikimaru finally got out. "…Who…?"

"The one you were thinking while kissing me?"

At the moment Tatsumaru seemed to see right trough him and he could only be ashamed and honest, for a change. "How… did you guess…?" Rikimaru held the other tighter asking forgiveness. "Am I that obvious…?"

"…Well not really… You just have never been… Let's say… been that passionate about me…So who is he?"

"…You're not mad?"

"…Why? We're not married or anything… And I can hardly blame you of anything when I've been thinking about Hitoha the whole week… Not exactly when we were… but anyhows… Someone I know?"

"Huh…? No, Tatsu, I'm sorry okay, it's been a weird night, I…" Tatsumaru silenced him continuing of where they had left before.

Hitoha hesitated at the door with his keys, but finally realised he had no other choice but to go in. He came in quiet and heard something from the kitchen and was soon sure he wouldn't have wanted to go past the kitchen sink. His feet failed Hitoha and he nearly trip over on the floor. The noise turned two heads.

"Hi…!" Hitoha said, two heavy luggage's in his hands preventing him from running to his room rather smoothly.

"Hitoha…? Hi…?" Tatsumaru said.

"Hi Hitoha…?" Rikimaru grinned surprised over Tatsumaru's bare chest.

"Um Rikimaru, this is Hitoha, Hitoha Rikimaru…"

"…Good morning, I'll be off now, in my room, or is it… never mind…It was nice to meet you, Rikimaru…"

"Nice to meet you two, Hitoha… We'll be in the kitchen if you need us…"

Tatsumaru pushed Rikimaru off himself and warned him to say more. "What? I was just being polite?" He was whispering now. "My dear paedophile-friend…!?" Rikimaru bite his lip not to laugh. "…Well I think I better go and let you sort things out?"

"What? Oh yes…?" Tatsumaru had transferred his mind to another level of consciousness.

"I just put my clothes on and I'll be out…"

"…What's so funny?" Tatsumaru asked.

"Him and you."

"I don't get you?"

"…Tatsu, why don't you do you both a favour and go do it with him what we were about to do on that table…?"

"…You make it sound so simple…"

Rikimaru shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe because it is… See you later…" He winked.

After Rikimaru had left and Tatsumaru had pulled himself mentally together he went to Hitoha's door.

Hitoha was sitting at the edge of his bed not really sure should he unpack or not.

"…Hi… and sorry about that…I…"

"Your new boyfriend?"

"Um… no, not really… How did your trip go, well?"

"Fine… new tenant?"

"No, I haven't looked for one yet… I was hoping that I wouldn't have to see the trouble…"

"well I got a place."

Tatsumaru's heart well from its place. "…That's… great, congratulations…!"

"…But I'm not going."

"…Oh?"

"So can I keep the room?"

"Yes, of course you can… Can I ask… Why aren't you going?"

"…They don't teach marketing as a main subject… It didn't suit for me…"

"Okay…That's reasonable… You could apply to some of the schools that are here?"

"Yeah, I thought to do that next year… Keep a gap year and figure out some things… I need to figure out…."

"That sounds wise, what's the rush, you are young… But I… let you get settled…" He was about to walk away.

"Tatsu…?"

He turned back to the bed. "…Yeah?"

"…I missed you…"

It was half one when Rikimaru got home. He stepped in quietly and listened carefully. He could hear Ayame's gentle snoring across the apartment. She seemed to be live and well. He put his jacket away and thought to test the theory. He walked to the kitchen, stopped and continued to living room. In no time the cat was following him at his heels. Rikimaru turned around and looked at the early bird burring at his feet. "Well I'll be damned, they were right…" She follows me just like a shadow he thought.

"Hey shit head…?"

The cat looked up at him with curiosity.

"How about if we call you a Shadow for now on?"

The cat didn't seem to protest as it wanted to climb to his lap. Minor bad detail was that the cat rose to stand against his leg and pressed its nails trough the fabric to his skin wanting to go upper.


End file.
